It looks like Mother Nature plans to muddy up the Masters competition this weekend.
Saturday is called “Moving Day” at Augusta National, given the traditional sorting that occurs in the third round. But golfers might come up with some new names while bracing for potentially nasty conditions.
The weather forecast is ominous. Heavy rains could dramatically alter how the course plays. That would be fine with Jordan Spieth, who shot 2-over par Friday while battling windy conditions.
After opening with a 66, Spieth had to rally to shoot 74 in the second round. He made five straight birdies late in that first round, then shot 5-over par through the 7th hole of the second round Friday before stabilizing.
If the downpours come, Spieth told reporters, “There will be a lot of mud balls over the next few days. You’ve got to be aware, and it becomes a more tactical golf course, and I think that’s an advantage for me.”
He insisted rain delays wouldn’t bother him since used to being on the Masters leaderboard. Spieth would use that extra time to rest and relax. “I won’t be extremely anxious,” he promised.
SECOND ROUND TURNS UGLY
Gusting wind and tough pin placements conspired against some of the stars who excelled Thursday. After leading the first round, Spieth opened the second round with a double-bogey.
For the second day in a row Tiger Woods put his tee shot on No. 12 into Rae’s Creek and suffered a bogey. After shooting 1 over par in the first round, Woods extended his streak of over-par rounds at major tournaments to nine with Friday’s scuffling.
Phil Mickelson was just two shots off the lead when he stepped to the No. 9 tee. Then he found some pine trees that doomed him to triple-bogey 7 on the hole. He staggered to a round of 79, matching his worst score in 26 Masters appearances.
“I just hit the tree,” Mickelson said after his round. “There was plenty of a gap, I just pushed it trying to run a 2‑iron down there in front of the green and get up‑and‑down, salvage par. I was even for the day, 2‑under for the tournament, and I just thought it wasn’t a hard par, I didn’t think, if I just chased one down by the green. But it, I pushed it into the tree and it went in the bushes and made triple.”
Rising star Patrick Reed skirted all of this second-round danger, shooting a 5-under 31 on the front nine to climb atop the leaderboard. Mark Leishman also made a second-round charge, highlighted by birdies on his first three holes and his eagle on No. 15.
MCILROY ADJUSTS TO WINDY CONDITIONS
Given the circumstances, Rory McIlroy was content to shoot 71 Friday after opening with a 69. He decided to play it safe. “I said, ‘Let’s just try to hit fairways and greens here,” McIlroy told reporters. “If we do that, we’re OK.'”
Given the potential for bad weather, McIroy was glad to be at 4-under through two rounds. ESPN noted that in the 81 previous Masters, 66 of the winners were in the top 5 when the 3rd round began. And only eight winners ever have been outside the top 10 after the halfway point
“It’s such a hard course to chase on,” McIlroy said. “When you do, that’s when you can bring in some trouble and make some mistakes. Whatever weather comes our way tomorrow, I’ll be able to handle it.”
