AUGUSTA, Georgia. — No one is safe from humiliation at Augusta National.
No former Masters champions.
No former players ranked #1.
Person.
The second day of the 88th Masters was carnage thanks to strong, swirling, gusty and tricky winds.
The result was a series of stunning scores posted by some of the world’s best, many of whom missed the 36-hole cut.
The three biggest men, although barely battered and bruised, were world number one Scottie Scheffler, first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa, all of whom were 6 under entering the weekend.
The average of 75.08 was the highest in the second round of the Masters since 2007, and only the fourth time in the last 30 years that it exceeded 75.
Brian Harman, the reigning British Open champion, shot a 47 on the back nine in his first round, which he finished Friday due to the weather delay and suspension in the dark on Thursday.
He closed the round with three straight 6s – topping 7 on those final three holes – and finished with an 81, missing the cut by a country mile.
Wyndham Clark, the reigning US Open champion who started the week in exceptional form, returned home early, as did Harman, having fired 7 overs for his two rounds.
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, saw his 2024 Masters end in his first round on Friday morning.
Spieth shot 79 in a round that was lit up by a quadruple bogey 9 at the par-5 15th hole.
Dustin Johnson, the November 2020 COVID-19 Masters champion who now plays on LIV Golf, was never in contention – to win again or to qualify.
He scored a 6-over 78 in his first round and it didn’t improve in his second round, in which he posted a 79 to finish 13-over.
Two-time green jacket winner Bubba Watson finished at 10 thanks to an 8-over 80 in his second round.
Charl Schwartzel, another former champion, was never a factor as he finished 11-over.
Former Masters winners Sergio Garcia and Zach Johnson, the most recent American Ryder Cup captain, both finished 7-over and missed the cut.
Johnson was so frustrated after a triple bogey on the 12th hole that he was heard telling a spectator to “fuck off.”
Yes, it was that kind of day in Augusta.
Heartbreaking for some.
Survival for others.
“It was about as happy as you could be to be off a golf course,” Homa said after his second round. “It was so hard. We were treated to a shower of sand to end our day. So it was kind of even the golf course saying, “Get out of here. ” It was hard. Just being exposed to the wind for so long has gotten old.
“Even here, even in a place as incredible as this, you’re still… I was imagining my couch and the TV. Yeah, I just wanted to get it over with. Just be inside. That’s everything we were looking for.
Now Homa, who was paired with Tiger Woods in the first two rounds, will aim for something else: winning his first major championship.
“Today’s memory for me… will just be a lot of the Tiger stuff,” Homa said. “But I’m hoping to build mine this weekend.”
Homa, one of the most positive souls you will ever meet, insisted he would not succumb to the pressure of the weekend’s major championships.
“Yes, it will be different tomorrow than at a (regular) PGA Tour event,” he said. “But I don’t know if you’ve seen ‘Hoosiers,’ but the size of the hole is the same for 18 of them, and I’m just going to try to do my best.”
DeChambeau went from shooting 7-under 65 in the first round Tuesday to hanging on for dear life Friday in a 1-over 73.
“I’ve never experienced Augusta National in these conditions before,” he said.
In his next breath, DeChambeau looked forward to the weekend and said, “I’m very excited. I have the opportunity to show my skills and hopefully it will be enough to do something special this weekend. I feel like the game is in a good place. The mindset is in a strong position. I feel like everything is lining up pretty well.
DeChambeau said he was “extremely” excited about the chance to face players like Scheffler, who is currently the undisputed best player in the world.
The two don’t get a chance to fight because DeChambeau plays LIV Golf and Scheffler on the PGA Tour.
“He’s obviously the best player in the world, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to compete and see what he can do versus what the rest of the field can do, what I can do,” DeChambeau said. “I’m looking forward to it, I really am.”
The one thing none of the players playing this weekend will be looking forward to is more wind.
Their wishes should come true as the wind is expected to weaken on Saturday and Sunday.
New York Post
