It was far from a casual Friday for the second round of the 88th Masters Tournament at Augusta National, where winds ranging from pesky to punishing undressed all but the most resolute and creative players in the field.
Flags rippled, sand blew and pines swayed. Patience was at a premium.
“You can be made to look like an idiot out there today by not doing too much wrong,” said Irishman Shane Lowry, who did enough right to qualify for the final 36 holes but trailed those who were better in the breeze, a steady 15 to 20 miles per hour with gusts nearly twice as strong.
Given the taxing conditions, it was no surprise to see some of the world’s best players – and ball-strikers – on the leader board going into the weekend.
Finishing just before sunset on a day that started with 27 golfers completing their first rounds early this morning, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler followed a 66 with 72 to tie Bryson DeChambeau (73) and Max Homa (71) for the 36-hole lead at 6-under 138.
Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard, making his Masters debut, is fourth at 4-under par, followed by Australian Cameron Davis and Collin Morikawa at 141. On a day when the scoring average was 75.114, Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg shot the only sub-par score, a 69, to finish 36 holes at 2-under 142.
“The conditions were extremely tough out there,” said Scheffler, whose only second-nine bogey in the worst of the wind came at No. 13, where his second shot went in the water. “Proud of how I fought and kept myself in the tournament this afternoon.”
It was the type of day to savor pars and treat birdies as bonuses. Homa certainly experienced the latter on the 240-yard fourth hole, where he hit a 7-wood to 36 feet and sank the putt for birdie, one of only a handful on No. 4 in the second round. “We would have taken a 3 and sprinted to five if we were allowed to run at Augusta National,” Homa said. “It was a classic of a 2.”
After an opening 65 that gave him a slim lead over Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion, DeChambeau spoke of how adjusting his attitude – as well as putting a new set of irons in the bag – had been a big help. When Homa was done with his second round, he talked about attempting to have a more relaxed mindset this week in hopes of better results in major championships. He is putting down his feelings on paper.
“I wrote something in my journal yesterday that said, ‘However good I am is however good I am,’” Homa told reporters. “I don’t need to try to be better than I am, and just see where that takes me. Maybe it’s winning this and maybe it’s not, and I’m okay with that. I know what I put into this game. Trying to get every ounce back doesn’t really work. I’ve tried that.”
Tiger Woods, 48, made the cut for the 24th consecutive time, setting a Masters record, after matching the 23 straight by Gary Player and Fred Couples in last year’s Tournament. Playing in a group with Homa and Xander Schauffele, Woods drove the ball more accurately over the first 36 holes of a Masters (25 of 28 fairways) than he had since 1996, when he missed only two fairways over the first two days. Rounds of 73 and 72 left Woods tied for 22nd place, seven behind the leaders.
By Bill Fields /Augusta Masters
