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AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was a wild, windy day at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership, the place even par was an excellent rating and something higher would possibly as properly have been a miracle.
Winds as much as 45 mph and a agency golf course didn’t permit for a lot scoring as solely 14 gamers have been below par and the highest rating after the second spherical completed remained the place it started — 7 below.
Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau discover themselves tied atop the leaderboard after 36 powerful holes with loads of gamers lurking under able to make a weekend run, together with Tiger Woods.
Listed here are the highest storylines heading into the weekend:
Can Scottie Scheffler maintain on?
Schlabach: I picked Scheffler to win by 5 strokes earlier than the match, and I am not backing down after 36 holes. I’ve to confess that I used to be anticipating extra from him within the second spherical, however the swirling winds and gusts of greater than 30 mph have been tough for everybody — even the No. 1 golfer on the earth and greatest ball striker on the planet.
Except somebody makes an surprising cost from exterior the highest 10, I nonetheless like Scheffler’s probabilities to win a inexperienced jacket greater than anyone else’s. Max Homa performed nice over the primary 36 holes, however he hasn’t carried out properly in majors till now. I am nonetheless not satisfied Bryson DeChambeau’s iron play will maintain up — until the brand new irons he constructed with a 3D printer are actually that good.
Collin Morikawa could be a official risk if his putter stays sizzling. Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young are good gamers, however they’re nonetheless looking for their first PGA Tour victories. Nicolai Højgaard and Ludvig Åberg are extraordinarily gifted, however have they got sufficient expertise to win a serious?
Uggetti: He may not be within the lead by himself, however given Scheffler’s dominant play as of late, it seems like he is at all times bought a leg up on the sector every time he tees it up. Do not get me unsuitable — Scheffler has performed good golf. However it nonetheless would not really feel like he is taking part in as much as his full potential, which we might be witness to return the weekend.
Scheffler is definitely gaining strokes placing (+0.33) on the sector, which speaks to his enchancment on the greens, an space that has usually held him again. Unsurprisingly, Scheffler can also be main the sector in strokes gained: tee to inexperienced, a statistic on which he has led all the PGA Tour this season. In that approach, the beginning of the foremost season has been no totally different.
“I believe main championship golf tends to only be very mentally grinding,” Scheffler mentioned. “Simply with how a lot the wind is blowing. It may be so tough, and you realize, you have simply bought to do your greatest to calm down as a lot as doable on the market and attempt to execute.” No person is healthier at executing than Scheffler. With the afternoon winds making the late rounds a lot tougher, he was nonetheless in a position to stay on the high of the leaderboard. Put the most effective participant on the earth in opposition to Homa, DeChambeau or anybody else in the identical situations, and good luck making an attempt to beat him.
What’s your expectation for Tiger Woods on the weekend?
Schlabach: I wasn’t certain if Tiger would even make the minimize this week provided that he had performed solely 24 holes of golf in a single PGA Tour occasion earlier than the Masters. Now, I am satisfied you possibly can’t depend Woods out at Augusta Nationwide — even when he is taking part in with a fused again and proper ankle. He is solely 7 pictures behind the leaders, which is not insurmountable over 36 holes.
Tiger seemed a lot better strolling Friday afternoon than he did within the morning. The quick turnaround from when play was suspended within the first spherical shortly earlier than 8 p.m. ET Thursday, and the restart at 7:45 a.m. on Friday wasn’t sufficient time for Woods to recuperate and get his physique began once more. He seemed drained and sluggish early, however he finally warmed up and performed properly within the second spherical.
With a 1-over rating after 36 holes, Woods will not have an early tee time on Saturday, so he’ll get some further relaxation earlier than the third spherical. He is driving the ball nice off the tee and his work across the greens remains to be world-class. There isn’t any query his lack of reps has affected his iron play and placing — he was 1-for-19 on putts exterior 10 ft over the primary 36 holes — however he made some clutch putts to avoid wasting par on Friday.
I do not suppose Tiger goes to win a inexperienced jacket on Sunday, however I am unsure a top-10 end is not out of the query for the 15-time main champion.
Uggetti: A 1-over end in these situations to make his file twenty fourth minimize on the Masters is an unimaginable feat for Woods. He is nonetheless properly again of the leaders, nevertheless it’s unattainable to depend him out a minimum of competing for a top-10 end, if not higher.
Woods is aware of this golf course higher than anybody within the subject and has the potential to thrive in windy situations. Watching him on Friday as he performed 23 holes, it was evident each how a lot he used his course data to his benefit and the way a lot better he may have scored had his placing been barely improved.
Maybe the weekend will carry a greater outcome for Woods on the greens as he will get comfy with the pace. To this point, regardless of his placing shortcomings, he has stored himself in it because of nice driving (11 of 14 fairways in each rounds) and an unimaginable quick recreation. Woods has gone each excessive and low to avoid wasting pars and it has been thrilling to look at him get out and in of powerful conditions. That creativity ought to proceed to assist him.
As Mark mentioned, most significantly, Woods appears wholesome. He was visibly drained from his marathon day Friday, however he was nonetheless strolling properly. Although he clearly wanted a number of holes to get heat Friday morning, there have been few, if any, indicators of pressure on his again or legs. The forecast is simply imagined to get hotter from right here on out, which ought to bode properly for Woods, too.
“I choose it heat, humid and sizzling,” Woods mentioned earlier this week.
On the very least, there will definitely be a second Saturday when Woods makes some form of cost. Buckle up.
What do Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa have to do to win their first inexperienced jacket?
Schlabach: Each of them appear to be in a very nice spot mentally, and staying assured and relaxed goes to be vital on the weekend. They’re each taking part in very properly in the mean time.
Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and one of the crucial gifted golfers on the earth. However his monitor file in majors coming into the Masters was terrible: He had one top-10 end and two top-25s in 17 such begins. Homa lastly appears satisfied that he is ok to win a serious, and that is in all probability been the most important impediment holding him again.
Over the primary 36 holes, he hit 72.2% of greens and 71.4% of fairways. He was gaining 2 strokes on the sector in placing. If Homa retains that up, he will be powerful to beat.
DeChambeau received the 2020 U.S. Open and carded a 58 within the LIV Golf League final yr. The man nonetheless hits it a rustic mile — he had a 372-yard bomb off the tee on the seventeenth gap within the second spherical — however his recreation has matured past a dude who crushes it. He appears to be extra affected person and deliberate. He is making an attempt to hit it to the best spots and has been avoiding the unsuitable ones. He is probably the greatest putters on the market (he is gaining near 2 strokes on the sector on the greens) and his iron play was distinctive within the first spherical.
Uggetti: Persistence. that Scheffler will play methodical, sensible golf and put himself in the best locations round Augusta this weekend. The query is: Can both Homa or DeChambeau do it too? To this point each have proved they will grasp, particularly in powerful situations. Each have hit over 72% of greens in regulation this week — which tops the sector.
Watching Homa flight his method pictures within the wind by two days has been a delight, and even Tiger has been impressed on the ball flight Homa has been producing.
“He is bought all of the expertise on the earth,” Woods mentioned of Homa, his taking part in associate in the course of the first two rounds. “… His ball flight, as strong as he hits it, it is only a matter of time earlier than he begins profitable in bunches. I noticed it up entrance; he would not actually mishit pictures. That is one thing you simply should do round this golf course.”
In the meantime, DeChambeau retains taking part in like a extra mature, restrained model of the participant who received the 2020 U.S. Open. He could also be aided by 3D-printed irons and a Krank driver, however the man is displaying he has the sport to win one other main. Sustaining that restraint will probably be key.
Which participant below par could make a weekend cost?
Schlabach: Collin Morikawa is a two-time main champion, however he has received solely as soon as on tour since choosing up his second one at The Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Membership in England in July 2021.
This season, Morikawa hasn’t had a top-10 end since tying for fifth on the Sentry, the season opener in Hawaii, on Jan. 7. He tied for forty fifth on the Gamers Championship and for seventy fifth within the Valero Texas Open in his two most up-to-date begins.
Morikawa has discovered one thing at Augusta Nationwide. He’s 3 below after 36 holes and carded a 2-under 70 within the second spherical. He is proper there within the combine.
Morikawa got here into the week ranked eightieth on tour in strokes gained: method (.120) and 164th in strokes gained: placing (-.531). To this point within the Masters, he’s gaining almost 2.5 strokes on method and greater than 1.25 strokes in placing, in keeping with Knowledge Golf. If his kind holds up over the ultimate 36 holes, Morikawa might be an element Sunday.
“Simply stored the ball in entrance of me,” Morikawa mentioned. “Look, I have been grinding and needed to discover one thing in a swing thought to work this week, and we discovered one thing early on Monday, and we’re simply form of sticking with that.
“It is nonetheless not good, however good would not should be on the market. I will play good golf and plot my approach round this golf course. Particularly with the wind out right here, you needed to simply form of actually keep affected person on the market.”
Uggetti: As if we would have liked any extra proof that Ludvig Åberg is a possible star within the making. The Swede adopted up a spherical of 73 on Thursday with a ridiculous 69 on Friday, which was simply the bottom spherical of the day for any participant and beat the sector common by over 6 strokes.
What’s perhaps extra spectacular is that Åberg was 2 over seven holes into his second spherical and proceeded to go 4 below over his final 11. Åberg is clearly not fazed by the second or the stage, particularly after participating in a Ryder Cup, and I do not suppose he will probably be unprepared for what the weekend at Augusta holds both.
“I believe, when you’re strolling between the pictures, you possibly can soak it in as a lot as you possibly can,” Åberg mentioned of his debut. “However when you’re over the ball, as soon as you are making the choices of what you wish to do, that is once you’re in match mode.”
Along with his size and accuracy off the tee, Åberg is a risk to make plenty of birdies if his method recreation is dialed. He is hitting solely 55% of greens in regulation to this point. If that quantity improves, he is certain to maintain rising up the leaderboard.
Who’s the most important disappointment to this point?
Schlabach: We in all probability should not have anticipated a lot from two-time main championship winner Justin Thomas after he parted methods with caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay simply final week. Thomas has struggled mightily for a lot of the previous two seasons, and he had a missed minimize on the Gamers Championship and a tie for sixty fourth on the Valspar Championship in his two most up-to-date begins.
However JT’s collapse on the ultimate 4 holes of the second spherical Friday was completely beautiful. After carding an even-par 72 within the first spherical, Thomas was in nice form after he picked up a birdie on the par-5 thirteenth within the second spherical. He was even par after 14 holes.
What occurred subsequent was inexplicable. Thomas went double bogey, double bogey, bogey and double bogey during the last 4 holes to complete 7 over and miss the minimize by 1 stroke.
On the 2023 Masters, Thomas made bogeys on three of the ultimate 4 holes to overlook the minimize by 1. That end appeared to ship him right into a tailspin, and this one is simply going to make issues worse for his confidence.
Uggetti: Thomas’ good pal, Jordan Spieth, was arguably worse this week. From the second the match started, Spieth put himself in a horrible place together with his first tee shot and method to the primary inexperienced. He made double bogey there, and it did not get a lot better.
Over the 36 holes, Spieth made seven bogeys, one double, one quadruple bogey and solely 4 birdies to complete 9 strokes over par and properly exterior the minimize line.
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