Tiger Woods made the Masters cut for a record-equalling 23rd time today - with a little help from his friend Justin Thomas.
The 15-time Major champion bogeyed his final two holes for a 73 yesterday to slide to outside the cut line when he finished his rain-delayed second round. He was then tied 51st when he finished with the top 50 and ties making the cut and in serious danger of going home.
But in the torrential rain, world No.10 Thomas then also bogeyed the final two holes for a 78 to miss the cut and all see the 54 players on three-over play for the rest of the weekend.
Woods said: “I've always loved this golf course, and I love playing this event. Obviously I've missed a couple with some injuries, but I've always wanted to play here. I've loved it.” Woods won the Masters on his first appearance as a pro and has now made 23 consecutive cuts here to draw level with the record held by Gary Player and Freddie Couples.
His friend and practice partner Couples became the oldest man to ever make the cut here at the age of 63. Woods re-started his second round at 8am local time on two-over par. His third into the 15th green hit the flag.
And unlike in 2013 when he did the same and saw his ball ricochet into the water, he drained a 27 feet birdie putt. But the 15-time Major champion then pushed his drive on the 17th into the trees for a bogey. And on 18, Woods pulled his tee shots into more trouble and could not convert a 50 foot putt to make his par.
“I hit it right off the heel,” he said of his tee shot on 18. “I was just trying to hit some kind of low cut out there, and I hit it right off the neck.” Couples, who followed his opening 71 with a 74 yesterday to sit on two-over par, breaks the Masters record of oldest player to make the cut by 108 days. Bernhard Langer had held the record from 2020.
The American, who had missed the cut for the last four years, said: "That's why I come here," Couples said. "The last four years have been really mediocre golf. Maybe one year I was semi-close to making the cut. But that's my objective, and I did it."
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