Masters 2022: Top Storylines to Watch for in Round 4 on Sunday

A rare sign of weakness from Scottie Scheffler on the 18th hole Saturday at The Masters opened up the possibility for a competitive Sunday.

Scheffler finished his third round with a bogey at No. 18 to drop his lead over Cameron Smith to three strokes. Scheffler got as high as 11 under on Moving Day, but he fell back toward the chasing pack, finishing at nine under following a mistake off the tee on his 54th hole of the tournament.

The No. 1 player in the world could rebound from the mistake and use it as motivation to come out strong Sunday. The slight blunder could also get into Scheffler's head and lead to one or two mistakes to begin the fourth round.

How Scheffler deals with the pressure of being the 54-hole leader at Augusta National Golf Club will determine whether he leaves with the green jacket.

Smith is the most logical player to take advantage of any mistake made by Scheffler. The Australian is three shots back. Sungjae Im is the next-closest golfer at four under.

The majority of the players who made the cut drifted over even par during Saturday's third round. Only seven players enter Sunday in red numbers.

Scheffler has made the fewest mistakes at Augusta over the first three days.

The world No. 1 committed one of his few errors on the 18th hole Saturday, as he sent an errant drive away from the fairway.

Scheffler recovered with a few nice shots, but he still finished the round with a bogey that shrunk the gap between himself and Smith. He needs to erase the memory of the bogey so that he can approach the first tee Sunday with a clear mindset.

The good news for Scheffler is that he has been in a winning position twice in stroke-play events over the past two months. He has two wins in the typical style of events, and he won the WGC Match Play with two Sunday victories.

Scheffler could use a birdie on the second or third hole to ease his nerves and shift the pressure back to the golfers chasing him. He opened the third round with birdies on both of those holes.

A par-birdie-birdie start would put Scheffler in a terrific position to land the green jacket, but even the slightest of mistakes early on could make things difficult for him.

Smith is the neutral fans' best hope for a Sunday battle at Augusta.

He used a four-under 68 on Saturday to inch within three strokes of Scheffler. The Australian produced six birdies and just two bogeys. He needs to make fewer mistakes Sunday to close the gap between himself and the leader.

Smith proved Thursday and Saturday that he is capable of putting together low rounds at Augusta, carding 68s on both days.

A fast start is vital for Smith to challenge Scheffler. Birdies at the second and third holes would be ideal. He birdied No. 2 and carded a bogey on No. 3 on Saturday.

If Smith thrives early on, we could be in for a classic head-to-head battle from the final pairing at the season's first major.

If he struggles, Scheffler could open up the advantage early and cruise to the finish line.

Seven golfers sit in red numbers ahead of Sunday's round.

Smith was the only Masters participant to card a score under 70 during Saturday's third round. Tommy Fleetwood was the only other golfer to finish multiple shots under par for the round.

Shane Lowry, Charl Schwartzel, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas were among the potential title contenders that shot even par or worse in the third round.

More players could jump into red numbers Sunday because of the improving conditions in Augusta, Georgia. According to Weather.com, the wind is not supposed to go over eight miles per hour and the sun will be shining on the course.

The ideal conditions could benefit most of the golfers, which may lead to a handful of low rounds that reshape the top 10.

The conditions could also play into the hands of Scheffler and Smith as they finish their pursuits of the green jacket.

We should get an idea of how easy the course may play from the early pairings, which include Jon Rahm, Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson.