Augusta National says goodbye to players after cut
By the skin of his teeth, England’s Justin Rose is still the leader in the Masters, the first Major of the season at Augusta National GC in Georgia, America (10-13 April). One tiny stroke separates him from America’s Bryson DeChambeau in second place who shot up the leaderboard following an impressive 4-under par 68. Rose played a 1-under par 71 yesterday to seal the halfway mark at the Masters on 8-under.
All eyes are focussed on Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy too who is still in search of his first Masters title despite having won all the other Majors. A disappointing finish on the first day (level par) saw him retaliate yesterday. He played a divine second round at Augusta National carding a terrific round of 6-under par 66 to soar back to the top of the leaderboard in a share of third place with Corey Conners on 6-under par. McIlroy opened with a birdie and then came to life on the back nine with birdies at the 10th and 11th which he followed with an amazing eagle 3 at the par-5, 13th and a birdie at the 15th.
Thirty-three year old Canadian Conners was in a tie for second place with Ludvig Aberg (Sweden) and defending champion Scottie Scheffler (USA) on 4-under par on day one. In the second round he carded a 2-under par 70 to share third spot with McIlroy. In three consecutive years in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Canadian finished inside the top-10 at Augusta National.
Scottie Scheffler played the first nine in three birdies and one bogey. Alas, bogeys followed at the 10th and 11th which left him at 4-under par. Then his tee-shot at the par-3 12th pitched through the green into a bank of bushes and then bounced back towards the green. Scheffler then chipped the ball into the hole for birdie! At 5-under par, the American had got himself back into the Masters picture. Two more birdies followed at 14th and 17th but he also made two bogeys, so the defending champion carded a 1-under par for a share of fifth spot.
Fans of Englishman Tyrrell Hatton were also treated to some great golf. He shot a good round of 2-under par to share fifth spot with Scheffler, Matt McCarty and Ireland’s Shane Lowry.
By the way, Bryson DeChambeau’s 68 on day two saw him shoot 4 birdies on the first nine as well as one on the 17th. Alas though his card was blemished with a bogey at the par-3 16th, it was terrific golf to watch.
It’s a tradition in golf that the cut after 36 holes waves goodbye to half the field. In the Masters, the field of 95 is reduced to 50 and ties. This year that meant that 51 players survived to play again at the weekend. Now that was a great relief for past Masters Champions such as Jon Rahm (Spain) who holed a metre-long putt on the 18th, Jordan Spieth (USA) and Charl Schwartzel (South Africa). They were part of the group of players on 2-over par who just made the cut. Alas, not a single one of the five playing amateurs made the cut.
Also free for the weekend are other Major winners such as Dustin Johnson (USA), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Phil Mickelson (USA) and Bernhard Langer (Germany) who all needed a shot or two less to make the cut.
Bye, bye Bernhard!
Major winners Fred Couples (USA) and Bernhard Langer (Germany) were looking set to make the 2-over cut with just a few holes to go. Sixty-seven year old Langer was preparing to say goodbye to the Masters after this year’s event but then he stood on the 18th tee with a score of 2-over par with the crowds cheering him on. His approach to the green then went left into the array of supporting fans. A few seats were rearranged so that Langer could play his chip onto the green. The crowds were all holding their breath for him. Alas, his putt slid past the hole and he made bogey for a 3-over par. It was a sad moment for one of the greatest players of recent years. Another golfing wonder, 65 year old Fred Couples, also missed the cut by two shots.
Well, the stage is set for another intriguing day of golf at Augusta National today. So please take a seat and enjoy every moment!
Wendy Hoad
Editor
MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: England’s Justin Rose is supreme at the Masters. CENTRE: Scottie Scheffler. MINIS (l-r): Bernhard Langer, Rory McIlroy, Fred Couples and Bryson DeChambeau.