The Masters Expert Picks for Saturday, Round 3: McIlroy, DeChambeau, & Aberg

The first two days of The Masters are in the books, and half the field is eliminated as we go into Round 3 on Saturday. Meanwhile, the top contenders for the green jacket are sharping up, with Justin Rose, Bryson DeDchambeau, Rory McIlroy, and Corey Conners on top of the leaderboard.

As we head into Moving Day on Saturday at The Masters, we’ll give you the top expert picks for Round 3 at The Masters to help you make your PrizePicks Lineups today.

Rose didn’t have as good of a day as in Round 1, and the field got much tighter, but he remains in the lead. The biggest story after Round 1 was McIlroy after his back-nine collapse, but a nearly perfect Round 2 has made him a contender as he goes into the weekend.

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With new picks and projections dropping for every Masters Round, the fun doesn’t stop until the green jacket is given out on Sunday evening.

The Masters Friday Highlights: Top Round 2 Finishers

Here are some notable Masters performances from Round 2 on Friday, including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, and Rasmus Hojgaard.

Rory McIlroy

Leaderboard: T-3 (-6) — Round 2 (-6)

After the end of the first round, all the talk was about McIlroy and whether this pressure to finally win The Masters was getting to him. 

What a difference a day makes. McIlroy was still overpowering off the tee but continued to save himself, specifically with strong putting, including that eagle on 13. The world will be watching to see if he continues that momentum.

Round 3 Projections on PrizePicks: 70 strokes, 4.5 Birdies or Better, 2.5 Bogeys or Worse, 10 Fairways Hit, 11.5 Greens in Regulation

Justin Rose

Leaderboard: 1st (-8) — Round 2 (-1)

Justin Rose remains the leader through Friday by one stroke, as that Round 1 performance continues to carry him. Shooting a 71 in Round wasn’t bad, but we saw a few players make a big charge. Rose is going to need to have a better weekend, as his three-stroke lead has dissipated — another 71 won’t cut it for a jacket.

Rose caught some bad breaks throughout Friday’s round, especially with some of the slopes just outside the green, and also had a few instances where he hit the sand off the tee.

Saturday could be a make or break day for the veteran to decide whether he’ll be in the mix on the final day.

Round 3 Projections on PrizePicks: 72 Strokes, 3.5 Birdies or Better, 3.5 Bogeys or Worse, 10 Fairways Hit, 10.5 Greens in Regulation

Rasmus Hojgaard

Leaderboard: T-9 (-5) — Round 2 (-4)

Rasmus Hojgaard shot up the leaderboard with an excellent Friday, and is now T-9 after Round 3. Hojgaard was better off the tee and made a huge improvement on his putts, going from 1.83 putts per hole to 1.39. 

His round could have been far better if the iron play wasn’t shaky. We saw this toward the end of the round when Hojgaard bogeyed three of the final six holes — without that finish, he could be at the top of the leaderboard.

Round 3 Projections on PrizePicks: 72.5 Strokes, 3.5 Bogeys or Worse, 9.5 Fairways Hit, 10.5 Greens in Regulation

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Top Saturday Masters Picks for Round 3 on PrizePicks

Here are the four best picks for the Masters Round 3 on Saturday on PrizePicks, where you can win real money every day of the Masters. Use these picks to build your PrizePicks Lineup on Saturday.

Bryson DeChambeau — 71 Strokes

Bryson DeChambeau has been the most consistent golfer through the first two days, and is the only player to shoot in the 60s in both Rounds 1 and 2. 

The power stroke is there, as usual. DeChambeau leads the tournament in average drive off the tee (331.00) and had the furthest drive of 358 yards. We know that will always be there for DeChambeau; it’s whether the short game will remain consistent that could win him a jacket.

He had excellent approaches with his irons, garnering favorable spins, and used the hills to his advantage. He also had a couple of great wedge shots, none better than the one from the sand on 2 that he sank for birdie. 

DeChambeau putting has improved year over year, and he’s been one of the best through two days as his 1.42 putts per hole are second in the field. He’s playing his game, and it’s working very well. This could be his year, especially if he’s in that final group on Sunday.

Ludvig Aberg — 11.5 Greens in Regulation 

There was a lot of excitement for Aberg going into the tournament, and after Round 1, that increased after shooting 68. Things have changed in a matter of a day, as his 73 moved him down to T-12. 

He started creating trouble for himself off the tee, and went from 86% fairways hit in Round 1 to 77%. The trickle down continued, and his iron play was off, and he only hit 61% greens in regulation. 

Aberg luckily had no three putts, but he had a few two putts and was slightly off on most of them, including a few from inside ten feet. 

With rain in the forecast for Friday night, we could see the same condition on Saturday, but the regression in a matter of a day is worrisome.

Rory McIlroy — 10 Fairway Hits

What was the change that Rory made to get him back in contention on Friday? More importantly, can he keep it rolling through the weekend? 

You notice the change in his approach between the two days, especially with the irons. The problem he had most of the day — especially on 15 and 17 — was that he overshot the green and had to play on those uphill slopes. 

On Friday, McIlroy played a little safer, was much better with his irons, and trusted his putting.

If the conditions remain the same as projected, that will give him slower roles, which helped him a lot on Friday.

Wyndham Clark — 9.5 Fairways Hit

Besides McIlroy, other players had huge turnarounds on Friday, including Wyndham Clark. This is a massive relief for him, as it was the first time he shot under par in three rounds played at The Masters. Last year, in his first time at Augusta, Clark didn't make the cut, but he will play the weekend thanks to shooting 68 on Friday. 

The difference was Clark’s accuracy, as he had 12-of-14 greens hit (86%). Clark was able to be more offensive with his irons and putting, which is where he excels. His 1.44 putts per hole ranked top five in Round 2.

The worry is that he played well above expectations and may have set himself up to disappoint in future rounds. The 86% fairways hit is well above his average, and even his 68% from Round 1 is higher than the 52.55% (155th) in 2025. Matching those performances might be tough for Clark on Saturday on a difficult course.

Make Predictions on The Masters on PrizePicks

We’re halfway through The Masters and the field has been cut down heading into Saturday. Round 3 is when we begin to pay attention to the serious contenders. With DeChambeau, McIlroy, and Scheffler all looking like they’ll be in reach of the jacket down the stretch, the final two rounds of The Masters should be exciting.

With every hole during every round, you can win real money on The Masters on PrizePicks by making picks on your favorite golfers. It’s not just who will win the round, but individual performance. You can ride with your favorite golfer to go under par or a dusty vet to miss the fairways.

On the Masters board on PrizePicks, just pick More or Less two to six golfers to build your Lineup for Round 3, including some of the top golfers in The Masters, like McIlroy and Scheffler.

Stay tuned to the Playbook throughout the Masters for picks and analysis on every round for The Masters DFS and PrizePicks.