AUGUSTA, Ga. — After two rounds at Augusta Nationwide, the 79th Masters event has delivered the products.
Fourteen of the highest 25 gamers on the earth discover themselves inside six pictures of the lead heading into the weekend, and the 2 betting favorites — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy — are simply three and two pictures again, respectively.
Justin Rose continues atop the event, however ending the job is not going to be straightforward. Among the sport’s greatest are chasing him.
What’s going to a stacked leaderboard carry?
Mark Schlabach: There are myriad choices with eight golfers inside three pictures of the lead and 11 solely 4 behind Rose. May we get the Rory vs. Scottie showdown on Sunday that everybody needed? May it’s Rory or Scottie carrying the PGA Tour’s flag in opposition to LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau within the remaining 18 holes?
When you might have a leaderboard this loaded — Viktor Hovland, Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg are additionally inside 5 pictures of Rose — there are infinite prospects.
“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. “The most effective gamers appear to rise. It is going to be an thrilling weekend.”
Paolo Uggetti: I believe Augusta Nationwide, because it’s susceptible to do, has introduced out one of the best in one of the best of the world over two days. If you happen to take a look at gamers who missed the minimize, there is not a very large title (exterior of perhaps Brooks Koepka) that could not make it to the weekend. Which means the course has finished its job of figuring out who’s taking part in one of the best golf proper now and in addition that the highest gamers on the earth introduced their A-game to the yr’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 appeared simple or straightforward.
“This course takes it out of you bodily and mentally, extra so than most different golf programs,” McIlroy mentioned. “We have got 36 holes to go on a really, very robust 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 lots to consider as they chart their manner across the course. The course ought to proceed to get firmer and play sooner come the weekend, and a heat Sunday forecast ought to arrange a improbable 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 appears this weekend, it’ll be very difficult.”
Who exterior the highest 10 has one of the 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 finished on the weekend at Augusta Nationwide, and I would not be shocked if both of them makes a cost over the ultimate 36 holes.
Matsuyama, the one Japanese man to win a significant championship, could 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.
Matsuyama’s putter must warmth up for him to do it. He misplaced greater than three strokes to the sector 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 method 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 at all times appears to play nicely. He completed within the high 12 in 4 of his previous 5 begins right here.
Reed is in rivalry although his putter has betrayed him to this point.
Uggetti: There are a whole lot 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 taking pictures 3-under Friday and sitting simply six pictures again of Rose.
Schauffele shouldn’t be in midseason type after lacking a handful of early-season tournaments with a rib harm, however his sport is clearly nonetheless there. The 2024 Open and PGA champion gained practically 4 strokes on the sector together with his method play Friday and is fifth within the discipline in strokes gained: method, per DataGolf.
“I believe I can hit the pictures. Confidence is a young factor. I’ll need to construct that up,” Schauffele mentioned. “It isn’t going to simply — as a lot as I might prefer to get up and really feel like final yr, that is simply not the way it goes. I am beginning to hit some very nice pictures, and that helps the boldness.”
As Schauffele identified, his putter hasn’t precisely helped the trigger. He is shedding nearly a full stroke to the sector with the putter, which might want to catch some warmth if he’ll make a run on the weekend. However after profitable two of the previous three majors, Schauffele’s sport 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 along with Hovland, who’s tied for ninth at 4 underneath. I’ve little doubt that Hovland is likely one of the most proficient golfers on the earth. He’s a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour and captured the 2023 FedEx Cup.
Though Hovland received the Valspar Championship on March 23, his first victory since going back-to-back on the 2023 BMW Championship and Tour Championship, his sport has been a multitude.
The Norwegian golfer is consistently trying to find perfection and goes via 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 happy. 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 changing into increasingly 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 after 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 yr (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 a lot better place now heading into the weekend.
“It is loopy,” Hovland mentioned. “You understand, typically it does not fairly really feel proper, however you are simply in a position to match up the face and make the ball by some means begin the place you are wanting, although it did not really feel supreme, or it was completely different to what you used to do. However typically you get a pleasant week, and you may time it up properly and also you make just a few putts, quick facet your self, and as a substitute of creating bogey or double, you chip in and make a birdie. I imply, this sport is foolish.”
Uggetti: It must be Matt McCarty. No, not Denny McCarthy — that is McCarty, no “h” within the title. The winner of the 2024 Black Desert Championship is a Korn Ferry alum who received 3 times in a single season to earn his PGA Tour card. After profitable in Utah final October, he earned his manner into this yr’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 earth. 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 pictures 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 targeted 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 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 sector together with his placing alone, in line with DataGolf. Extra importantly, McCarty leads your entire discipline in strokes gained: method this week.
“Clearly, this golf course could be very troublesome if you happen to get out of place, however if you happen to’re hitting good pictures and giving your self some beauty, you may make some birdies out right here,” he mentioned. “So it was enjoyable.”
With so many high names round him, odds are McCarty will slip down the leaderboard come the weekend. However between a scorching putter and his elite method sport, that is a recipe that spells endurance.
