Rarely in Masters history has a storm delay produced such an astonishing transformation. It only lasted eighty minutes but Hideki Matsuyama came out of it a completely different golfer to take command of the 85th edition.

One of those flattened by the inspirational Japanese was Justin Rose, who went into the suspension with a one shot lead and ended the day four off the top.

It’s a sizeable deficit but it might suit the 40 year old Englishman to be the hunter in what promises to be an enthralling final round.

Let’s not forget that Matsuyama has some hefty demons to conquer to claim the green jacket. Can you imagine what it’s like for the 29 year old, trying to become the first male player from a golf-obsessed nation to win a major, and this one in particular?

Matsuyama will fully deserve it if he puts together a last round that’s anything like the calibre of his final eight holes on Saturday. He was contemplating an approach shot from the pine needles at the 11th when the suspension came.

After the weather delay he blew everyone away, playing those last eight holes in six under par to come home in 30 strokes for a wondrous 65. It was thrilling to behold.

Rose was one of those who struggled after the suspension. His long game unravelled completely, and he had to rely time and again on his short game to come to his rescue.

Yet he will have another chance to win that elusive jacket that’s always hung just out of reach, as will the impressive Masters rookie Will Zalatoris, who played alongside him.

Rose started slowly on the first two days but there was no such tentativeness on this occasion. Two cracking shots to 12ft at the first was followed by a birdie putt that fell into the hole with its final roll.

At the par five second, just short in two, he played a lovely pitch to 6ft and holed that one as well. It was the first time in 14 years that the halfway leader of the Masters had begun his third round birdie-birdie.

The impressive Zalatoris picked up a shot at the third, while both players bogeyed the treacherous fourth. As the wind picked up, Rose bogeyed the fifth as well, and so the lead was back to the one stroke with which he began when the suspension came.

Scot Bob MacIntyre’s Masters bow might have been overshadowed by the debut of Zalatoris but the 24 year old leftie from Oban continued his own notable efforts with a 70 for a two under par total.

One of those to suffer when play resumed was Justin Thomas, who had been just three off the lead. That all changed at the glorious par five 13th, where he ran up a calamitous eight that ended any hope of a green jacket.

What of the US Open champion, Bryson DeChambeau? Rest easy, green jackets. The Mad Scientist will be leaving the premises no nearer to executing his demonic ambition to bring the course to its knees.

For the second time in five months the build-up had been all about the extravagant lines that DeChambeau was intending to take off certain tees. For the second time in 150 days, Augusta’s chairman Fred Ridley issued a plea to the ruling bodies to do something about the distance the golf ball travels.

As it turned out, just as he was in November, DeChambeau will be nothing more than a bit part curiosity. On a day when he could not afford any mistakes, DeChambeau ended up with two bogeys and two doubles on short holes, the 4th and the 12th. He finished with a disappointing 75.

Maybe he will figure it all out one day but there’s clearly plenty more thinking in that laboratory needed before he comes up with a winning formula.

One of the rounds of the day was delivered by Europe’s forgotten man, Francesco Molinari.

Given it was his final round collapse at this event two years ago that let in Tiger Woods and led to the Italian’s precipitous decline, it would be somewhat ironic if this is the round that propels him back towards the big-time. Molinari carded a 69 to get back to level par for the championship.

In addition to Rose, six other Englishmen made the halfway cut but their collective efforts were disappointing, for the most part. Matt Wallace, third in the Texas Open last week, continued his good form with a 71 to be on one over, the same mark as Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, who carded rounds of 73. They were placed just inside the top 30.

Tyrrell Hatton has made giant strides forward in his career but cracking the majors, and this one in particular, remains an intractable puzzle. When the 29 year old from Marlow opened with a 70 it offered the promise of considerable progress regarding a decidedly modest Augusta record showing two missed cuts and two finishes outside the top 40 from four appearances.

A second round 75, alas, was followed by more head-shaking and puzzled looks from the expressive one. At the 13th the world number eight gave his putter a gentle kicking when his eagle attempt wandered to the right. A disappointing 74 leaves him on three over.

Paul Casey and Ian Poulter were the first men out in the third round, but neither was able to muster a charge. The most exciting thing about their rounds will have been if they were having a private wager. Standing on the 18th tee, there was nothing to separate them, with both on level par for their day’s work.

Casey was the one to falter, a pushed approach into the greenside bunker leading to a bogey after he missed the resultant short putt, He carded a 73 to Poulter’s 72.