With an uneven number of players left after the cut, Saturday provided an opportunity to see an uncommon Masters Tournament feature: the marker. 

Instead of playing solo, Tom Kim approached the No. 1 tee box with arguably the most interesting figure surrounding the Masters: Michael McDermott. 

McDermott is an Augusta National Golf Club member that took over for Augusta native Jeff Knox as the designated, non-competing marker in 2021. Markers don’t record a score, their name isn’t featured on their caddie’s jumper and they are, for all intents and purposes, focused on anonymity. 

Some tournaments give the player an option to play solo or with a marker, but that’s not the case for the Masters. McDermott’s presence allows him to keep the pace up for the tournament. 

For Kim, it was a welcome addition to his third round. 

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“Michael was so fun to play with. Never really played with a marker before. It’s the first time to experience it,” Kim said. “He was so great. You know, for him to come out and play with a guy who is going to play solo, made it a lot more fun. We had a good time out there.” 

The role of non-competing marker in the most prestigious golf tournament in the world brings with it a ton of responsibility. The fact is, McDermott could likely compete against these players were he in the Masters field. 

“He played great actually,” Kim said. “Hits the ball really far. His irons, sometimes he grabbed one club longer than me. He was a complete baller.” 

McDermott will tee it up again in Sunday’s final round. After that, well, depends on how the 2026 Masters field shakes out.