Ewan Murray's report
With play suspended for the day, here’s how the top of the leader board looks. Thanks for reading this blog, and hopefully we’ll see you here for a Homeric Sunday that will begin at 8.30am local time (1.30pm BST). Stay warm and dry, everyone!
-13: Koepka (6)
-9: Rahm (6)
-6: Bennett -a- (6)
-5: Cantlay (13), Fitzpatrick (11), Morikawa (7), Hovland (7)
-4: Rose (9), Henley (9), Mickelson (9), Niemann (9), Young (8), Day (7)
-3: Scheffler (12*), Fox (11), Woodland (9)
-2: Schauffele (12), Matsuyama (11), Reed (10), Lowry (9), Burns (9), Spieth (8)
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Here’s the positive take. This decision having been made, and with the weather forecast to be dry tomorrow, the greenkeeping staff can get the course in the best nick possible for the morning. At which point we’ll probably face a very similar schedule to today: an early start, the conclusion of the third round, then fourth-round three-ball matches starting off two tees. Still a very good chance that this Masters will finish on a Sunday, as everyone hopes it will.
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Play suspended for the day
The committee have made a snap decision to suspend play for the day. It’s the wise decision. The course was becoming unplayable, and there’d be very little time to get it back into any sort of shape even if the rain stopped before sunset.
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Yes, this delay could take some time. The evacuation siren goes off, which means all players must immediately return to the clubhouse, while the patrons must leave the course. There may be some lightning coming to town. The satellite images aren’t looking great at all. The rain’s expected to keep coming down, at various intensity, until at least 6pm local time, so it could be that play is over for the day.
The two greens that are really causing the issue are the 7th and the 12th. Huge puddles forming. On 7, Jon Rahm will come back to that aforementioned nine-foot birdie chance; Brooks Koepka and Sam Bennett both splashed out from a greenside bunker to set up par putts from 11 and seven feet respectively. But all that might be a wee while down the road.
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Parp! Parp! Parp! Play suspended
The course is waterlogged and play can’t continue. Three blasts of the hooter calls everyone back to the clubhouse, though everyone can finish putting out if they so wish. It’s doubtful too many will bother.
Patrick Cantlay responds to the aforementioned dropped shot at 11 with birdie at 13. He’s back up to -5. At three under for his round, Cantlay is, along with Matt Fitzpatrick (-5) and Im Sung-jae (E), the hottest property out there on the course. If hot is a word that’s appropriate to use in these conditions.
The Mickelson dream hits the buffers with bogeys at 7 and 8. He slips to -4 and turns in 36, back to where he started the round. Let’s cut the guy some slack, he’s been out of form on the LIV tour and turns 53 in a couple of months. Speaking of the veterans, Freddie Couples is struggling for the first time this week: the 63-year-old, who has become the oldest player in Masters history to make the cut, has played the back nine in 39 strokes. He slips back to +4 overall. Whatever happens to these guys – see also Tiger – they’re putting in one heck of a performance.
Having dunked his first tee shot into the pond at 16, Tiger walks off with a double bogey. That follows double bogey at 15, and bogey at 14. Five shots in three holes. He’s +9 and, while not in contention, remains a perfectionist and is fuming. Meanwhile a late report of another bogey for Collin Morikawa, who can’t get up and down from sand at the front of 7. He slips to -5.
Koepka wasn’t quite as close to the bottom of the trunk as it first looked. Perspective can do a number on you sometimes. But it’s still not an ideal position, and he can only punch out from the pine straw, under the branches, and into the bunker guarding the front left of the green. The door’s slightly ajar for Rahm, then, and he screeches his approach to a halt 12 feet from the flag. A good chance for birdie, though puddles are beginning to form on the greens as the rain gets heavier, so it might not be quite the great chance it looks.
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… so having said that, Brooks slices his drive at 7 into the trees, and his ball nestles directly behind a pine. Oh, and Tiger pulls his tee shot at the scene of his most iconic shot, the 16th, into the lake. Fair to say, our timing could have been better. Pulitzer, please!
If history is any guide, Brooks Koepka already has this in the bag. There are three players who have previously shot 67 or lower in each of the first two rounds: Ray Floyd in 1976 (65-66), Chris DiMarco in 2005 (67-67) and Jordan Spieth in 2015 (64-66). Floyd went on to win by eight shots, Spieth four, and while DiMarco lost a playoff, he did so to Tiger Woods, who needed that chip to supernaturally topple into the cup en route. So it’s looking good for Brooks.
Two-putt pars for both Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. At the other end of the leader board: Tiger Woods, who finds the water at 15 and ends up with double bogey. That follows bogeys at 10 and 14, and the five-time winner props everyone up at +7.
-13: Koepka (6)
-9: Rahm (6)
-6: Morikawa (6), Bennett -a- (6)
Jon Rahm takes his turn at 6, and sends his tee shot 40 feet past the flag. Under normal circumstances, it’d spin back close. But these greens are heavy with moisture, despite the best efforts of the sub-air system, and it stops dead. Rahm waves his arm around in impotent frustration.
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Bogey for Patrick Cantlay on 11. He sends his tee shot into the trees down the right, then clanks his second against a trunk, with inevitable consequences. He drops back to -4. Everybody in the chasing pack, with the exception of Matt Fitzpatrick, is currently going backwards. Brooks Koepka, comfortable in this knowledge, calmly caresses his tee shot at the par-three 6th into the safe portion of the green.
Rahm’s long putt, from the best part of 90 feet, breaks quite a way left. He can’t make the eight-foot left-to-right slider he leaves himself. Bogey, and now there’s some serious separation at the top, because Koepka judges his own long putt, a snaky 90-footer of his own, so much better. He lags to within three feet for his par, and there just doesn’t look to be a chink in his armoury right now. Bogeys meanwhile for Morikawa at 6, punishment for missing the green to the left, and Mickelson at 7, Lefty unable to get up and down from the bunker at the front to save his par.
-13: Koepka (5)
-9: Rahm (5)
-6: Morikawa (6), Bennett -a- (5)
-5: Fitzpatrick (9), Mickelson (7), Young (6), Hovland (6)
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All three players in the final group find the 5th green in regulation. All three find vastly different ways to do it. From the tee, Koepka lashes into the trees down the right, Rahm splits the fairway, and Bennett sends yet another of his shots out to the left. The amateur ends up being the closest to the flag … and he’s 50 feet away from it. The conditions aren’t making this easy.
Collin Morikawa sends his approach at 5 pin high. But he leaves the 12-foot birdie putt high on the right, and walks off looking slightly disappointed. He remains at -7. But it could be worse. Bogeys for his playing partners Jason Day and Viktor Hovland, who drop to -4 and -5 respectively.
Jon Rahm’s tee shot at 4 is short and right. He then flies the green with his chip. A double is a very real possibility, but he calmly chips up from the bottom of the swale to ten inches, and taps in for a damage-limiting bogey. But it’s a par for Brooks Koepka, and now there’s a wee gap developed between the two leaders.
-13: Koepka (4)
-10: Rahm (4)
-7: Morikawa (4)
-6: Mickelson (6), Hovland (4), Bennett -a- (4)
-5: Cantlay (9), Fitzpatrick (8), Young (5), Day (4)
A slapstick disaster for Jordan Spieth down 5. He slices his drive into deep forest down the right, then takes two whacks to power his way back out. His fourth sails into a bunker to the left of the green. Of course, he nearly holes out from the sand, but the ball slides past the cup and it’s a double bogey that bumps him down to -2. He’s alongside the defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who has just completed his back nine in 35 strokes.
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The rain is coming down plenty now. The skies look pretty dark too. Talk of some serious storms coming through in an hour or so. Fingers crossed they give Augusta National the big bodyswerve. Meanwhile another birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick, who is strolling around with the air of a chap without a care. He wedges his third from 70 yards to ten feet, then rolls in the putt to move to -5.
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Jon Rahm’s wedge into 3 is bang average, and he’s forced to settle for par. Sam Bennett’s escape from sand topples back down the bank at the front, but as he stares a third consecutive opening bogey in the face, he screws a sensational third to kick-in distance, and escapes with a par that will hopefully settle the young amateur’s nerves. Then Brooks Koepka nearly steers in a huge right-to-left swinger for an unlikely birdie that would have surely sickened Rahm. Millimetres away from a three-shot lead. Meanwhile on 4, Collin Morikawa tidies up for his birdie … while on 6, Phil Mickelson rakes in a 40-foot left-to-right swinger for his second birdie of the afternoon! This surely can’t be on! Could it?! Nope, obviously not. But it could!
-13: Koepka (3)
-11: Rahm (3)
-7: Morikawa (4)
-6: Mickelson (6), Hovland (4), Bennett -a- (3)
The US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick has been pootling along quietly all week. No drama, no fuss. Opening rounds of 70 and 72. Now he’s started his third with birdies at 2 and 7. He’s -4. Meanwhile Collin Morikawa sets himself up to launch a charge at the leaders by swishing a lovely tee shot at 4 over the flag to four feet. Huge chance for birdie.
Brooks Koepka’s drive at 3 finds the first cut down the right. Jon Rahm splits the fairway. Sam Bennett finds the sand down the left. On Sky, Andrew Coltart suggests Bennett will notice the difference between going round with the easy-going pair of Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa, as he did in the first two rounds, and the more steely focused Koepka and Rahm. At the minute, he’s struggling to adjust to his new ice-cold surroundings.
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The rain’s started again. Umbrellas going back up in the gallery, players pulling on their waterproof tops. Bogey for Justin Rose on 5, as a six-footer doesn’t turn left as he expected; he slips back to -5. But birdie for Jon Rahm on 2: he doesn’t give his eagle putt any chance of reaching, but it’s a tap-in to move to -11. However he’s still two behind Brooks Koepka, who gets up and down from the sand for a birdie of his own. Sam Bennett can’t chip in from the back of the green, and the amateur starts with back-to-back bogeys. A little bit of separation at the top of the leader board now as the big two prepare to battle it out mano-a-mano.
-13: Koepka (2)
-11: Rahm (2)
-6: Morikawa (3), Day (2), Bennett -a- (2)
-5: Cantlay (8), Rose (5), Mickelson (4), Young (3), Hovland (2)
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Jon Rahm crashes a monster drive down the left-hand side of the 2nd fairway. Then he eases a 6-iron into the heart of the green. He’ll have a look at eagle from 20 feet. Brooks Koepka sends his approach into the bunker guarding front right. Then Bennett takes his fourth stroke from 143 yards. He pulls a 9-iron to the left of the green. He’s not miles from the pin, but it’s a tricky up and down for bogey nonetheless.
The weather seems to be behaving itself right now. Still windy and cold, but at least the rain has stopped pelting down. Not a brolly in sight right now. Meanwhile Cam Young handed back his opening birdie by hooking into the trees down the left of 2; the penalty shot led to a bogey and he’s back to -5. And now Sam Bennett is in danger of emulating him: the amateur hooks into the trees, takes a drop, and then some medicine as he bumps back out onto the fairway. He’ll need to get up and down from distance if he’s not to card consecutive bogeys.
Birdies at 13 and 15 for the reigning champion Scottie Scheffler. He rises to -2 for the week. Birdie for Jason Day at 2; that early move in the right direction will make him feel a little bit better after yesterday’s late collapse, which saw him ship four shots in the last four holes. The 2011 runner-up returns to -6.
Here’s the latest missive from Ewan Murray, our man in Augusta. (On the subject of Tiger, he’s just prodded at a par putt on 10 with great uncertainty, and immediately drops back to +4.)
On the 2nd green, Jordan Spieth prods too tentatively at a downhill birdie putt from 12 feet. Just a par, and a chance to right the wrong of an opening bogey goes by. He’s -4. Viktor Hovland, in the penultimate group, also bogeyed the opening hole to drop to -5. But now on 1, the final group … [adopts Martin Tyler growl] and it’s live. Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm nearly chip in for birdie. They tidy up for par. But it’s an opening bogey for Sam Bennett, who can’t get close in splashing out from the bunker, with little in the way of green to play with, and he slips back towards the pack. Birdie meanwhile for Phil Mickelson at 3, and he couldn’t, could he? No, don’t be silly. But he could!
-12: Koepka (1)
-10: Rahm (1)
-7: Bennett -a- (1)
-6: Rose (4), Burns (2), Morikawa (1)
-5: Cantlay (7), Mickelson (3), Young (2), Hovland (1), Day (1)
The leading three-ball is out. The amateur sensation Sam Bennett sends his opening tee shot into the first cut down the left, then from 186 yards whips a 5-iron into the bunker guarding the front-left portion of the green. He’s short-sided, with the pin tucked in nearby. Jon Rahm’s tee shot ended up in a similar position; his 8-iron reaches the green but topples off the false front. Finally the leader Brooks Koepka, who having lashed his tee shot into sand down the right, can only whip his ball just short of the green. None of the leaders on in regulation.
The rain continues to spatter Augusta National. Welcome cover for that strange salty discharge that’s seeping from your eyes.
Not all the early third-round stories have been feelgood. Dustin Johnson, starting on the back nine, hooked his drive at 11 into deep oomska down the left and had to reload. That led to a triple-bogey seven, and he’s currently four over for his round through the first five holes. The 2020 champion drops to +3 for the tournament. Meanwhile Jon Rahm has some fresh competition for Dancefloor Disaster of the Week. You’ll recall the big Spaniard four-putting on his very first hole on Thursday morning; well, the 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama has just repeated the feat on 2. Having putted for birdie, he ended up with a double bogey, which if nothing else will make amateurs worldwide feel a little better about themselves, because we’ve all been there, more than once and all. So with little more than a swish of a flat stick, he topples down to level par for the week.
Here we go, then: the third round, and Saturday becomes Moving Day at last! Most of the players are now back out on the course, and there have been one or two significant early moves. Justin Rose has birdied the opening two holes. Cameron Young has birdied the 1st. Patrick Cantlay made three consecutive birdies at 2, 3 and 4, while Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele have both birdied 2 and 3. All of which means the top of the leader board now looks like this …
-12: Koepka
-10: Rahm
-8: Bennett -a-
-6: Rose (2), Young, (1), Morikawa, Hovland
-5: Cantlay (6), Reed (3), Burns (1), Day
-4: Schauffele (4), Henley (2), Woodland (1), Mickelson (1), Spieth (1)
BSTee-times
While Scott’s enjoying a well-earned screen break, here are the third-round starts converted to British Summer Time …
From the 1st tee
4.30pm Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith
4.42pm Tom Kim, Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele
4.54pm Hideki Matsuyama, Harris English, Matt Fitzpatrick
5.06pm Lee Kyoung-Hoon, Ryan Fox, Patrick Reed
5.18pm Justin Rose, Russell Henley, Shane Lowry
5.30pm Gary Woodland, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann
5.42pm Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth, Cameron Young
5.54pm Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Jason Day
6.06pm Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Sam Bennett (amateur)
From the 10th tee
4.30pm Sepp Straka, Harold Varner III, Dustin Johnson
4.42pm Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau
4.54pm Sahith Theegala, Abraham Ancer, Mito Pereira
5.06pm Tyrell Hatton, Max Homa, Chris Kirk
5.18pm Taylor Moore, Si Woo Kim, Zach Johnson
5.30pm Fred Couples, Mackenzie Hughes, Seamus Power
5.42pm JT Poston, Talor Gooch, Keith Mitchell
5.54pm Charl Schwartzel, Billy Horschel, Scott Stallings
6.06pm Thomas Pieters, Tiger Woods, Sungjae Im
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Third-round tee times
Well that didn’t take long. Here they are! If you’re coming at this from the UK, remember to add five hours for the BST equivalent. We’ll start up here again at 6pm BST, just as things start hotting up.
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Tee-time news when we have it. Meanwhile here are the third-round hole locations, for your leisurely perusal.
Hole locations for the third round. #themasters pic.twitter.com/iabTzQGUwQ
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023
Missing the cut. On Sky, the commentary team of Ewen Murray and Butch Harmon highlighted the extra frisson a 36-hole cut gives to a tournament. The drama and mixed emotions provided this morning by Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Im Sung-jae proved that conclusively. Jeopardy is a crucial element to sport, and here are a few of the big names who will suffer this weekend for the benefit of the greater good: Francesco Molinari, Bryson DeChambeau, Tom Hoge, Mike Weir, Justin Thomas, Bernhard Langer, Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Corey Conners, Bubba Watson, Jose Maria Olazabal … and, taking their final bow, Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle. See you all on the other side.
Jon Rahm speaks to Sky. “I did a good job to maintain the score I had yesterday … birdie on 13 today was a huge start … it’s not playing easy whatsoever … let’s hope the weather gets better this afternoon … I’m excited, looking forward to it … let’s hope I can continue the good play … I have a really good chance.”
No official news yet of how the third round will be played. A fair chance it’ll be three-balls with a two-tee start, though. And while the rain continues to bucket down, there is some hope, with satellite images suggesting the worst of the weather may head off to the north-east sooner rather than later. No promises, but fingers crossed. News of the third-round tee times when we have it.
The second round concludes
-12: Koepka
-10: Rahm
-8: Bennett (a)
-6: Morikawa, Hovland
-5: Day, Burns, Spieth, Young
-4: Woodland, Mickelson, Niemann, Rose, Henley, Lowry
-3: KH Lee, Fox, Reed, Matsuyama
-2: English, Fitzpatrick, T Kim, Bradley, Schauffele, Scott, Cantlay, Smith
-1: Straka, Varner III, D Johnson, Scheffler, Fleetwood, Finau, Theegala, Ancer
Hideki Matsuyama pulls his putt a tad, and it lips out. A bogey five to finish for the 2021 champion, and that’s a 70. He goes into Moving Round at -3. Cam Smith rolls his bogey putt into the centre of the cup, and he signs for a level-par 72. He’s -2. Then finally Im Sung-jae makes the putt he needs to make to ensure his weekend participation. Par, and while he’s signing for a 76, having come home in 39 this morning, everything’s relative and he walks off smiling. He’s +3.
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One of the shots of the week from the 2020 runner-up Im Sung-jae. He requires par at the last to make the cut, and is short of the green in two. From 40 yards, he lobs over the bunker, and over the flag, spinning his ball back to five feet. That’s followed by an equally fine wedge from Cam Smith, who will now have a good chance of making his bogey. Then the trilogy is completed by Hideki Matsuyama, who chips from the front to eight feet and will have chance of salvaging par. Three big putts coming up!
It’s Cameron Smith’s turn for bother down 18. He hooks his drive into the trees down the left, and is forced to punch out. His third, a larruped 3-wood, doesn’t even reach the bunker guarding the front of the green … so if you want an illustration of how much longer Augusta National is playing in this incessant rain, there it is! He’ll need to get up and down just to limit the damage to bogey.
Cameron Young finds 18 in regulation, and despite leaving his first putt well short, salvages par from eight feet. That’s a big putt coming off the back of double bogey at 17, and he signs for a 72 that keeps him in the hunt at -5. Meanwhile Jon Rahm can’t make his long par saver, and it’s a bogey to end a street-fighting 69 which saw him start slowly but steadily, burst into life mid-round, then finish erratically. At -10, he’s two off Brooks Koepka’s lead.
Justin Thomas won’t be here this weekend. His par putt is always staying high on the right, and the bogey drops him below the cut line at +4. A look of pained disbelief on his face. His caddie throws a consoling arm around his shoulder. This morning’s performance will take a while to process. He’s played the last seven-and-a-half holes today in six over par. A 78, and the stunned PGA champion is going home.
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Jon Rahm wedges over the shelf running across the middle of 18 … but only just, and his ball turns back down the slope, leaving a 40-foot par putt. Meanwhile Thomas chips up onto the green from the left, but his ball bites and leaves a ten-footer he’ll need to make if he’s to stay around. Back on 17, bogey for Im Sung-jae and he drops to +3, almost guaranteeing the cut stays out there.
JT’s in trouble here. He cracks a drive down the middle of 18, but the rain is relentless and the hole is a monster now. He whips a fairway wood from 220 yards. It sails wide left, nearly landing in the gallery. He’ll need to get up and down here if he’s to play for the rest of the weekend. Meanwhile Jon Rahm opts to hit an iron into the green, and can’t reach. A chip and a putt to stay within one of the lead. He may opt to putt from off the green, like he did on 13 and 17 … but water is collecting in patches on the putting surface, so it may not be the percentage play.
Justin Thomas chips elegantly up to eight feet … but can’t make the par saver. Tiger breathes a huge sigh of relief. JT’s bogey means the projected cut moves to +3. Great news not only for Woods, but also Charl Schwartzel, Billy Horschel, Scott Stallings and Thomas Pieters … but it’s a nervous one now for Thomas, who at +3 has to par 18 to survive. No ifs, no buts … and it’s absolutely hosing down now, which means the 18th plays long, long, long.
Patrick Cantlay pars 18 and signs for his second 71 of the week. He’s -2 going into Moving Round. Meanwhile some bother for Cameron Young on 17, or more literally 15, which is where he’s sent his second shot, after slicing a drive into the trees. His third finds the green on the hole he’s actually playing, but spins back off it and he doesn’t get particularly close with his chip. Two putts later and that’s a costly double that crashes him down to -5. But in the meantime, Jon Rahm, who had pulled his second just to the left of the green, hits a hot putt from the fringe that smacks flush into the flagstick and drops for birdie! Had that not hit the hole, it was heading ten feet past at least! Just one in it again!
-12: Koepka (F)
-11: Rahm (17)
-8: Bennett -a- (F)
-6: Morikawa (F), Hovland (F)
-5: Day (F), Burns (F), Spieth (F), Young (17)
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JT can only whistle a low hook out of the trees on 17, trundling his ball up towards the green. He’ll need to get up and down from 50 yards for par, and Tiger’s hopes rise. Meanwhile back on 16, Cam Smith leaves himself a monster putt from Jon Rahm Country, but unlike Rahm lags his almost to gimme distance. He remains at -3, and looks up for the fight. And the 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama is on a roll, following up birdie at 13 by sending his tee shot at 16 over the flag and rolling in the straight five-footer for another bird. He’s -4.
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A closing bogey for Xander Schauffele. He’s punished for pulling his second miles left of the green, and finishes with a 74. All the damage done yesterday afternoon. He’s -2 overall. Par for Viktor Hovland, and he signs for a slightly disappointing 73. He’s -6 overall. And two calm putts for Tiger means bogey, and at +3 he’s currently just outside the cutline. But it’ll only take one more player to drop to +3 to ensure his participation … and Justin Thomas, currently +2, has just driven into the trees down the left of 17. Stay tuned! No flipping!
The reigning Open champion Cam Smith is trotting along nicely. Birdie at 14 is followed by an elegant wedge into 15, his ball landing six feet past the hole and gently screwing back to three feet. In goes that putt, and he moves up to -3. Not out of this, not by a long chalk. Meanwhile on 16, Jon Rahm putts from downtown to four feet, only to miss the par saver; he slips back to -10, his first dropped shot since that four-putt fiasco at 1 on Thursday.
Tiger’s in the centre of the 18th fairway... but having found the trees on the left with his tee shot, there in two. He’s at +2, right on the projected cut line. It’s possible that +3 will be enough, but he can’t bank on it. And here’s what’s on the line here: Tiger Woods has made 22 consecutive cuts at the Masters, since 1997. If he makes a 23rd, he equals a record set by Gary Player between 1959 and 1982, and Fred Couples between 1983 and 2007. He wedges pin high, but the backspin takes his ball 40 feet away from the hole. Two putts and he’s probably here for the rest of the weekend … but at +3, will require one more player to drop down to move the cut to that mark. A tournament within a tournament.
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Jon Rahm closes in on Brooks Koepka. He lays up on 15 and wedges to four feet. In goes the putt, and the birdie brings him to within a stroke. But his tee shot on 16 holds up in the cold, swirling air and with the pin back right, he’ll face a long two putts to save his par.
-12: Koepka (F)
-11: Rahm (15)
-8: Bennett -a- (F)
-7: Young (15)
-6: Morikawa (F), Hovland (17)
A wild drive at 17 puts Tiger’s weekend participation in danger. From the trees on the right, he manufactures his second up towards the green, but sends his wedge over the flag, only just holding the fringe at the back. He can’t make the long par saver, and slips to +2. Also in trouble: Justin Thomas, who lays up at 15, then nearly slam dunks his approach into the cup for eagle. But his ball spins back, very nearly toppling into the drink. It stops short, but from 50 feet, he three putts, and suddenly that’s a bogey that drops him to +2. A couple of big names on the brink, then, needing to par their way home to make certain of surviving the cut. However, the numbers are volatile, and it could be that both survive if they bogey, as they’d bring in all the +3s on the top-50 rule.
Seamus Power can’t salvage his par. But he makes bogey, and signs for a 73. At +1, he’ll be here for the business end. The two-time champion Bubba Watson won’t be around, though. A 76 to go alongside his opening round of 77, and he departs at +9. Meanwhile back-to-back birdies for Patrick Cantlay, at 15 and 16, the latter reward for a glorious arrow straight at the flag, and suddenly one of the pre-tournament favourites announces himself at -2.
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Shane Lowry finishes with a level-par 72. The 2019 Open champion remains at -4 as he heads towards Moving Round. Hopes of matching or bettering last year’s third-place finish still very much alive. His compatriot Seamus Power should make the cut, meanwhile; he’s in the group behind, and sends his second into the bunker to the right of the green. He’s currently level par, so he’s got three shots to get down to be certain. Although whatever happens, he’ll be heading home at some point with a suitcase brimful of crystal, after those sensational back-to-back holes-in-one at the par-three contest.
Bounceback birdie for Cameron Young! He makes it in some style, sending his second from 150 yards into the heart of the green, allowing the tilt to entice his ball along a gentle left-to-right curve, stopping three feet from the hole. He’s back to -7. Pars meanwhile for his playing partners Justin Thomas (+1) and Jon Rahm (-10).
A poor end to Sahith Theegala’s round. A bogey-bogey finish. He signs for an ultimately disappointing 70 and slips back down the standings to -1. Meanwhile the 2018 champion Patrick Reed also bogeys 18, also back in the hutch with a 70, but a couple of shots better off at -3.
Second round, 2013, and Tiger Woods wedges his third into 15. The ball clanks off the flagstick and spins back into the lake. He ends up with a bogey six. Second round, 2023, and Tiger Woods wedges his third into 15. The ball clanks off the flagstick and spins back … but stops on the green, 27 feet from the flag. The putt’s never going anywhere else but in. Birdie! The great man edges away from the cutline, a little cushion at +1. The 15th owed him that. Payback time!
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Cam Young bumps a delicate chip up onto the 13th green. His ball stops one turn short. Given his shenanigans back up the hole, bogey’s not the worst outcome. He slips to -6. Jon Rahm meanwhile, having laid up in front of Rae’s Creek then sent a poor wedge next to Young’s ball, opts to putt. A strange decision, given the amount of moisture, and sure enough he leaves it ten feet short. That’s a big mistake, but he makes up for it by nailing the par putt that remains. He stays two behind at -10.
Trouble for Cam Young on 13. He sends a huge slice into the woods down the right. Then, in whipping back out, his back foot slips and he sends his second into the filth on the other side. He drops and smacks a provisional into the fairway, but his caddie finds the first one on the wrong side of Rae’s Creek and so they take an unplayable. Young drops and sends his fourth just off the green to the left. He’ll have an outside chance of salvaging par from 30 feet.
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Exit Larry Mize
There was no fairytale final putt for 1988 champion Sandy Lyle; there isn’t one for 1987 winner Larry Mize, either. A short one missed on 18 leads to a double bogey finish and a second round of 80 to go with Thursday’s 79. He’s +15. But who really cares? Augusta born and bred, Mize will always have that chip on 11, and his play-off victory saw off two genuine greats in Seve and Greg Norman. No mean feat. The local hero gets the warm reception he deserves … and gets a hug from Sandy Lyle, who has hung around to bid his old pal farewell. Lucky it’s raining, huh?
JT’s playing partners Cameron Young and Jon Rahm are doing much better. Both birdie 12. It moves the big Spaniard to within two strokes of leader Brooks Koepka; meanwhile that’s Young’s third birdie in five holes and the Match Play runner-up is suddenly right back in the mix.
-12: Koepka (F)
-10: Rahm (12)
-8: Bennett -a- (F)
-7: Young (12)
-6: Morikawa (F), Hovland (13)
It’s just not happening for the reigning PGA champion Justin Thomas, one of the pre-tournament favourites. He’d carded a decent opening round of 70, but his second round is going a sour way out at an unpleasantly fast speed. He finds the water guarding the 11th green en route to a double bogey, then fails to get up and down from the back of 12. Another dropped shot, and suddenly he’s three over for his round and +1 overall.
Sandy Lyle speaks to Sky. “The 18th hole is a lot different to when I played it in 1988 … you could reach the bunkers off the tee, now I can’t get within 60 yards! … the whole course has changed an awful lot … but good memories of those times … the two guys I played with [Talor Gooch and Jason Kokrak] were brilliant and allowed me to go off the 18th tee first, which was nice … they gave me the honour … we got a round of applause when we got to the green … unfortunately we couldn’t finish the job off yesterday, which would have been quite nice … then this morning I got ready for my ten-foot putt … I hit a lousy putt, it was terrible! … I thought I might be very emotional going up 18 but I was prepared for it very well … it was good, it was nice, but I’m in no rush to come back and play here again because off the ladies tee would be my limit right now … I’m not long enough … playing with the big boys yesterday, you realise time’s up … as time goes on you get more and more appreciative of winning the Masters … it never lets you down … the little things ... having ‘champion’ on the windshield of your car … having people who let you through and know the name … ‘good morning Mr Lyle, welcome back’ … all the little things make a huge difference.”
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Another birdie for Xander Schauffele! The 2019 runner-up looks reinvigorated this morning. This one comes at 13, and he rises to -3, most of the damage suffered on the front nine yesterday repaired in short order. His playing partner Viktor Hovland meanwhile gets back the shot he dropped at 11 with birdie of his own. The third member of the group, Tiger Woods, has been parring his way round this morning, and remains hovering over the projected cutline at +2.
Freddie Couples makes the cut!
Fred Couples finishes bogey-bogey, but still signs for a 74. Factor in yesterday’s 71, and he’ll be here this weekend. At 63 years and six months, the 1992 champion becomes the oldest player to make the cut in Masters history. The record had previously been held by Bernhard Langer, who was 63 years and two months in 2020, and before that by Tommy Aaron, who was 63 years and one month in 2000. Sandy Lyle, for the record, bowed out today at the age of 65. Living legends all.
A day later, Sandy Lyle completes his Masters career. #themasters pic.twitter.com/etyDipXR4X
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023
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Before the hooter last night, Jon Rahm had crashed a long drive down the middle of 10, then sent a distinctly average second to the back of the green. Play was stopped before he could putt, and he’ll have spent all evening fretting about a treacherous 50-footer snaking back down the green. No need, because he guides his putt up to kick-in distance to secure his par. He moves on towards Amen Corner at -9. Meanwhile a birdie for Sahith Theegala at the par-five 15th, and the 24-year-old Californian, who is putting together a very tidy round, moves to -4.
Not the ideal start for Viktor Hovland, whose short par putt on 11 lips out. He drops to -5 before parring the short par-three 12th. His playing partner Xander Schauffele rolls in a 15-footer for birdie on 12, though, and moves back to -2. The 29-year-old from San Diego will have been one of the few players happy to hear the hooter yesterday evening, as he was dropping back into the pack at pace, having doubled 3, then dropped another stroke at 5. But the salvage operation begins here.
Exit Sandy Lyle
The 1988 winner said his goodbyes properly last night, when play was halted before he could putt out on 18 for the final time in his career. He knew there wouldn’t be too many patrons around at the resumption on this dreich morning. But the Is need dotting and the Ts crossing, so he’s back to finish his round. Two putts from the fringe, and he takes his leave of Augusta National as a competitor with a bogey. An 83 to go with his first round of 81 and he’s +20. But he’ll always have that bunker shot, that snaking putt, that celebratory jig. Thanks for everything, Sandy. It’s been special.
The weather. Wet. Windy. Cold. Conditions will be tough. The course will play long. On the flip side, it’s been raining all night, so the greens will be a little more receptive. A different course altogether. In the clubhouse, Brooks Koepka, Sam Bennett and Collin Morikawa are cackling, their feet up by the fireside, sucking down those metaphorical cigars. Brollies at the ready, folks!
Preamble
Welcome to the third day of the 2023 Masters. Yesterday a storm came to Augusta National, so we still haven’t completed the second round. Play is due to restart at 8am local time, 1pm in the devalued UK coin. Here’s what happened yesterday …
… and here’s where we’re at right now. All patrons safe and well, thankfully, so let’s get going. It’s on!
-12: Koepka (F)
-9: Rahm (9)
-8: Bennett -a- (F)
-6: Morikawa (F), Hovland (10)
-5: Day (F), Burns (F), Spieth (F), Young (9)
-4: Woodland (F), Mickelson (F), Niemann (F), Rose (F), Henley (17), Reed (14), Lowry (13), Scott (10)
-3: KH Lee (F), Fox (F), Kirk (12), Matsuyama (8)
