AUGUSTA, Ga. — After two rounds at Augusta Nationwide, the 89th Masters event has delivered the products.
Fourteen of the highest 25 gamers on the planet discover themselves inside six photographs of the lead heading into the weekend, and the 2 betting favorites — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy — are simply three and two photographs again, respectively.
Justin Rose continues atop the event, however ending the job won’t be simple. Among the sport’s finest are chasing him.
What is going to a stacked leaderboard carry?
Mark Schlabach: There are myriad choices with eight golfers inside three photographs of the lead and 11 solely 4 behind Rose. May we get the Rory vs. Scottie showdown on Sunday that everybody wished? May it’s Rory or Scottie carrying the PGA Tour’s flag towards LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau within the closing 18 holes?
When you’ve gotten a leaderboard this loaded — Viktor Hovland, Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg are additionally inside 5 photographs of Rose — there are infinite potentialities.
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“It is thrilling. It is the Masters,” mentioned three-time inexperienced jacket winner Phil Mickelson, who will not be round for the ultimate two rounds after lacking the minimize at 5 over. “One of the best gamers appear to rise. It may be an thrilling weekend.”
Paolo Uggetti: I believe Augusta Nationwide, because it’s vulnerable to do, has introduced out the very best in the very best of the world over two days. In the event you take a look at gamers who missed the minimize, there is not a very large identify (exterior of perhaps Brooks Koepka) that could not make it to the weekend. Meaning the course has executed its job of figuring out who’s taking part in the very best golf proper now and likewise that the highest gamers on the planet introduced their A-game to the 12 months’s first main.
It has been placing to see the unimaginable moments and elite shotmaking we have already witnessed. Outdoors of Rose’s opening-round 64, no spherical has seemed easy or simple.
“This course takes it out of you bodily and mentally, extra so than most different golf programs,” McIlroy mentioned. “We have 36 holes to go on a really, very powerful golf course.”
Regardless of the moist climate Monday evening and Thursday in a single day into Friday, Augusta has held up extremely nicely, retaining its firmness and giving gamers a lot to consider as they chart their manner across the course. The course ought to proceed to get firmer and play quicker come the weekend, and a heat Sunday forecast ought to arrange a unbelievable end.
“This place is so good at getting the golf course within the situation or setting it up correctly and never letting the climate get away from them, which is a shock to no person,” Justin Thomas mentioned. “However I really feel like with how the climate seems this weekend, it may be very difficult.”
Who exterior the highest 10 has the very best probability to nonetheless win?
Schlabach: There are a few former Masters champions, Hideki Matsuyama (2021) and Patrick Reed (2018), lurking simply exterior the highest 10 at 3 underneath. Clearly, they each know what it takes to get it executed on the weekend at Augusta Nationwide, and I would not be stunned if both of them makes a cost over the ultimate 36 holes.
Matsuyama, the one Japanese man to win a significant championship, can be even additional up the leaderboard if he hadn’t made a double bogey on the par-5 thirteenth within the first spherical. He had an eagle on No. 2 on Friday and added 4 birdies and two bogeys to put up a 4-under 68 within the second spherical.
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Matsuyama’s putter should warmth up for him to do it. He misplaced greater than three strokes to the sphere on the greens over the primary 36 holes, in line with DataGolf.com. However his iron play and driver have been lights-out; he gained 4.43 strokes on strategy and 6.52 strokes tee to inexperienced within the second spherical.
Reed helped Augusta State win nationwide championships in males’s golf in 2010 and 2011. Then he held off Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, McIlroy and others to slide on a inexperienced jacket in 2018. Reed had three straight top-25s within the LIV Golf League coming into Augusta Nationwide, the place he all the time appears to play nicely. He completed within the prime 12 in 4 of his previous 5 begins right here.
Reed is in competition although his putter has betrayed him to date.
Uggetti: There are plenty of guys tied for twelfth place at 3-under who’re intriguing, however I’ll go a bit additional down and 0 in on two-time main champion Xander Schauffele, who’s tied for seventeenth after capturing 3-under Friday and sitting simply six photographs again of Rose.
Schauffele is just not in midseason type after lacking a handful of early-season tournaments with a rib harm, however his recreation is clearly nonetheless there. The 2024 Open and PGA champion gained practically 4 strokes on the sphere together with his strategy play Friday and is fifth within the subject in strokes gained: strategy, per DataGolf.
“I believe I can hit the photographs. Confidence is a young factor. I’ll should construct that up,” Schauffele mentioned. “It isn’t going to simply — as a lot as I would wish to get up and really feel like final 12 months, that is simply not the way it goes. I am beginning to hit some very nice photographs, and that helps the boldness.”
As Schauffele identified, his putter hasn’t precisely helped the trigger. He is dropping virtually a full stroke to the sphere with the putter, which might want to catch some warmth if he’ll make a run on the weekend. However after successful two of the previous three majors, Schauffele’s recreation appears able to doing simply that, even when he is not totally again to main type.
“I did not shoot myself out of it,” Schauffele mentioned. “However I’ll have to maneuver on shifting day.”
Who has been the most important shock?
Schlabach: I am going to go together with Hovland, who’s tied for ninth at 4 underneath. I’ve little question that Hovland is among the most gifted golfers on the planet. He’s a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour and captured the 2023 FedEx Cup.
Regardless that Hovland gained the Valspar Championship on March 23, his first victory since going back-to-back on the 2023 BMW Championship and Tour Championship, his recreation has been a multitude.
The Norwegian golfer is consistently looking for perfection and goes by way of swing coaches like patrons undergo pimento cheese sandwiches at Augusta Nationwide.
Even after carding a 3-under 69 on Friday, which included six birdies and three bogeys, Hovland appeared nowhere near being glad. On a scale of 1 to 10, he described his swing as a 6 or 6½ proper now.
“Simply been sort of discovering the previous motion that I used to have in my golf swing, and it is turning into an increasing number of pure,” Hovland mentioned. “My large proper misses have gotten much less and fewer, so it is simpler for me to belief what I am already doing when nearly all of the time once I hit a shot I lookup and the ball goes in a fairly good route. Then my physique and thoughts can sort of relax and simply attempt to execute.”
Hovland tied for seventh within the 2023 Masters, then missed the minimize in three of 4 majors final 12 months (he was solo third on the 2024 PGA Championship).
Earlier than capturing the Valspar Championship, he had missed three straight cuts on the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Gamers. He nonetheless appeared misplaced in golf’s wilderness.
He is clearly in a significantly better place now heading into the weekend.
“It is loopy,” Hovland mentioned. “You realize, generally it would not fairly really feel proper, however you are simply capable of match up the face and make the ball by some means begin the place you are trying, although it did not really feel very best, or it was completely different to what you used to do. However generally you get a pleasant week, and you’ll time it up properly and also you make a couple of putts, quick aspect your self, and as an alternative of creating bogey or double, you chip in and make a birdie. I imply, this recreation is foolish.”
Uggetti: It must be Matt McCarty. No, not Denny McCarthy — that is McCarty, no “h” within the identify. The winner of the 2024 Black Desert Championship is a Korn Ferry alum who gained thrice in a single season to earn his PGA Tour card. After successful in Utah final October, he earned his manner into this 12 months’s Masters and now finds himself tied for sixth heading into the third spherical.
McCarty might be a reputation you have not heard a lot of, however he’s making a reputation for himself this week. Although the Official World Golf Rankings have him at No. 52, DataGolf says McCarty is extra just like the 112th-best participant on the planet. In his debut at Augusta Nationwide, McCarty birdied his first two holes Thursday and carded 1 underneath, a powerful spherical for a first-timer.
His encore was even higher. McCarty began Friday with a double bogey and a bogey however then proceeded to shoot 8-under over his subsequent 15 holes, together with 4 straight birdies. He completed at 5 underneath, simply three photographs behind the chief.
“I do not know, simply sort of caught with the sport plan. I did not let myself get too rattled,” McCarty mentioned. “Simply stayed centered and did not take into consideration what occurred earlier and sort of moved on, and it was good.”
McCarty mentioned that he knew he was hitting the ball nicely sufficient for a very good rating, however that his putter went chilly Thursday. As soon as it heated up, there was no stopping him. He gained practically 4 strokes on the sphere together with his placing alone, in line with DataGolf. Extra importantly, McCarty leads the whole subject in strokes gained: strategy this week.
“Clearly, this golf course could be very tough when you get out of place, however when you’re hitting good photographs and giving your self some attractiveness, you may make some birdies out right here,” he mentioned. “So it was enjoyable.”
With so many prime names round him, odds are McCarty will slip down the leaderboard come the weekend. However between a scorching putter and his elite strategy recreation, that is a recipe that spells endurance.
