dThe Americans Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa lead together with 138 strokes (6 under par) at the halfway point of the 88th Masters. Tiger Woods made the cut that Stephan Jäger, the only German in the field, missed. On Friday in Augusta (Georgia) the wind was again so strong during the second round that gusts of up to fifty kilometers per hour carried sand from the bunkers, the players constantly sought shelter and the round lasted 5:45 hours.
While DeChambeau (65 strokes) and Scheffler (66 strokes) were able to successfully brave the strong breezes of the previous day, such low results on Friday were not even remotely achievable for any of the 89 participants. Swedish Masters debutant Ludvig Åberg had the best round of the day with a 69, which took him to seventh place. Of the three leaders, only the Californian Homa, eleventh in the world ranking, managed a round below the course standard (par) of 72 with 71 strokes, although he, like his partner Woods, had to complete 23 holes on Friday because his The first round was underway. The previous day had to be interrupted after sunset due to the late start.
Scheffler is satisfied
“The weather forced you to be patient,” said Homa, who after returning to the clubhouse could not hide that he was happy not to have to fight further away. Scheffler was more than satisfied with the result of 72 strokes: “It was an extremely good round for me,” said the world number one. DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, praised how the wind prevented him from playing aggressively like he always does. The 30-year-old pro played this Masters with 3D-printed irons according to his ideas, whose slightly rounded face was only approved by a USGA as compliant with the rules earlier in the week. The Danish Nicolai Højgaard, 23 years old, follows in fourth position after a round of 73 and a total of 140 strokes.
“It was a day where you couldn't hide any weaknesses in your game,” Woods said after his round of 72 shots. The 48-year-old crowd favorite is in 24th place with 145 strokes. The five-time Masters champion made the cut for the 24th consecutive time and now holds this record of consistency, ahead of American Fred Couples and South African Gary Player, who made it 23 times. “It's incredible the control Tiger has over the ball,” said his teammate Homa. Woods especially stood out in the “short game.” He only hit 8 of the 18 greens “in regulation,” meaning within the number of strokes specified by the course standard, and that was only in his second tournament this year. Just seven shots behind, Woods still sees chances for another win at Augusta.
Jäger complains about difficult conditions
On Saturday the wind is expected to die down a bit with temperatures up to 25 degrees. “It had nothing to do with golf,” Jäger said, describing the extremely difficult conditions on the second day. After starting the first major of the year on Thursday with a 74 stroke (2 over par), he missed the cut (150 strokes, 6 over par) after a round of 80 strokes and a total of 154 strokes. However, the American from Chattanooga (Tennessee) was satisfied with his Masters debut: “I only made three bad shots today,” said Jäger. That his great idol Woods played such a clear round did not surprise the Munich native: “he is perhaps the best golfer of all time.”
But Jäger still has one consolation: he is in good company. The Norwegian number six in the world, Viktor Hovland, even said goodbye with a round of 81 strokes. American big winners Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson also missed the weekend.