Key events
Rory’s tee shot at 4 lands pin high, but just off the green to the left. He takes putter anyway, and nearly makes the 30-footer from the fringe. Just (!) a par, and it’s now a start of 3-3-3-3. That’s how he started the back nine yesterday. Meanwhile a spot of trouble for Bryson on 3, as he slips while taking his tee shot and sends his ball miles left. His second hits the bank and topples back down; his third sticks on the dancefloor but 15 feet past the flag. Big par putt coming up.
Shane Lowry mishits his tee shot at the par-three 4th. Short and right. He’s left with a tricky wedge over the bunker and can’t get close enough to save his par. He slips back to -6. Meanwhile a staunch scramble by Scottie Scheffler at 5. A spot of luck as his drive lands between the two big fairway bunkers down the left. His second finds greenside sand, from where he gets up and down. Like last night, there remains a sense that he’s not quite got his A-game right now. Like last night, he’s hanging on in there. He remains -6.
Rory McIlroy does indeed start 3-3-3. He tickles in his birdie putt on 3, pretty much the same straight one Shane Lowry had moments earlier. Perhaps a little left-to-right action, but only a smidgen. Either way, this is a preposterously fast start by McIlroy, who is now nine-under par for his last 12 holes. Meanwhile on 2, Bryson DeChambeau makes a two-putt from the best part of 100 feet for birdie. He’s started birdie-birdie, yet somehow is not the story. At the moment.
-10: McIlroy (3)
-9: DeChambeau (2)
-8: Rose (2)
-7: Lowry (3), Conners (3)
-6: Day (6), Scheffler (4)
Another birdie for Shane Lowry! A rare straight putt at Augusta, on 3, and the 2019 Open champion is right in this now. He’s -7. Following him in the group behind, Rory McIlroy bangs his tee shot to the bottom of the bank in front of the green. He lobs his chip up to seven feet, and he’ll have a putt for a birdie and a 3-3-3 start. Meanwhile a long rake for birdie on 8 for Tommy Fleetwood, and he’s -3, not out of this quite yet.
… Rory McIlroy chips in from the back of 2 for eagle! His shot in, arrowed straight at the flag, was never going to hold the small section of green, and toppled down a little swale behind. No matter, because he steers a gentle right-to-left curling chip into the cup. Like Bryson’s putt before it, that always looked like it was heading in. This is positively psychedelic, and we’re only a couple of holes into Moving Day! On Sky, Dame Laura Davies is also on a hot streak, wryly observing that we’ve had “three leaders in the last 25 seconds.” Corey Conners’ fuss-free birdie goes almost unnoticed, while elsewhere there’s par for Justin Rose at 1, and birdie for Jason Day at 5. This is shaping up to be a Masters for the ages.
-9: McIlroy (2)
-8: Rose (1), DeChambeau (1)
-7: Conners (2)
-6: Day (5), Hovland (4), Scheffler (3), Lowry (2)
-5: Im (5), McCarty (2)
-4: Z Johnson (F), Hatton (3)
An outrageous opening birdie for Bryson DeChambeau! His approach into 1 sails over the flag and only just holds the back of the green. He’s left with a 45-footer coming back, over a ridge and with some right-to-left drift. Surely not? Yep! It’s one of those that somehow looked in all the way, from the moment it left the face of his putter. Simply sensational, and that’s got the crowd pumping! But if you think that’s dramatic …
Rory McIlroy looks in the mood to cause bedlam with his big stick today. He creams another drive, this time at 2, straight down the middle. It also lands on the downslope behind the big fairway bunker, some frankly unnecessary help. Just 369 yards this time. “I think you need a stewardess for things in the air for that long,” deadpans the always-entertaining Dame Laura Davies on Sky Sports. Meanwhile up on the green, Rory’s compatriot and friend Shane Lowry gets up and down from the front to make birdie and move to -6.
Bryson DeChambeau isn’t going to beat Rory McIlroy’s 371-yard mark on Tea Olive. Because he’s not going to try. Out comes the 3-wood, which he belts down the middle. He’s got a bit more self-discipline these days, does Bryson. Justin Rose’s tee shot leaks off to the right. Meanwhile up on the green, McIlroy rolls in his birdie putt to make an immediate move. Also news of the resurgent Viktor Hovland, who follows birdie at 2 with another at 3, and Moving Day is already beginning to bubble up nicely!
-8: Rose
-7: McIlroy (1), DeChambeau
-6: Hovland (3), Scheffler (2), Conners (1)
-5: Day (4), Im (4), McCarty (1), Lowry (1)
-4: Z Johnson (F), Morikawa (6), Hatton (2)
66 for Zach Johnson
Par at the last for the 2007 champ, and Zach Johnson signs for his best-ever round at Augusta at the age of 49! (When he won here 18 years ago, he shot rounds of 71, 73, 76 and 69, his total of +1 beating Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods by two shots. It was very cold and wet that year, to be fair.) Anyway, he’s the new clubhouse leader at -4.
So, that McIlroy drive of 371 yards. It’s unsurprisingly the longest of the day at Tea Olive. The next best? Patrick Cantlay’s 315-yard effort. Bryson still to come, of course. And Rory’s wedge in is good, but not spectacular. He’ll have a look at birdie from 10 feet. Compare and contrast Scottie Scheffler’s wedge into 2, spun back to kick-in distance from 108 yards. The birdie moves the defending champ to -6.
“Fore please, Rory McIlroy now driving!” What a response yesterday to Thursday evening’s double-fiascos at 15 and 17. Back in 31 for a spotless round of 66. And now he’s absolutely striped his opening tee shot down the track. A 371-yard drive to begin. Safe to say his playing partner Corey Conners will be hitting first into most greens today.
The reigning Open and PGA champion Xander Schauffele rakes one in from downtown on 6. It’s his second birdie of the round, but he doesn’t celebrate too wildly, given it follows dropped shots at 3 and 5. He’s back to where he started the day at -2.
Scottie Scheffler can’t make his birdie at 1. Just a par, which is more than his playing partner Tyrrell Hatton can manage. Hatton is unable to splash out close from the bunker at the front of the green, and he immediately falls back to -4. After his shaky finish to last night’s round, that’s three shots gone in four holes for the Liverpool FC supporting star. Some consolation may be found in Arsenal dropping points at home to Brentford?
It couldn’t last for Zach Johnson. He finds the bunker guarding the front of the 17th green, and can’t get up and down for a sandy par. He slips to -4. Going the other way: Jason Day, who birdies 2 to move to -5.
Eagle on 2 for the 2020 runner-up Im Sung-jae! A chip-in from 20 yards off the front. A couple of bounces before it rolls out and in. Glorious. He moves up to -5. Back on 1, Scottie Scheffler has to shape his second around some overhanging branches, and does so marvellously, landing his short iron from 145 yards pin high. He’ll have a look at birdie from nine feet.
“Fore please, Scottie Scheffler now driving.” Here’s the defending champion and world number one, who was uncharacteristically untidy yesterday, yet still managed to grind out a one-under round of 71. By all accounts he was on the range late last night, not in a particularly good humour, as he battled to get his game back into the easy-going shape of Thursday. His opening drive finds the first cut down the left. A slight narrowing of the eyes as he peers after it, but no great drama. He’ll no doubt leave all that emotional nonsense to Entertainment’s Tyrrell Hatton, who he’s going round with today.
News of another former champion who has been enjoying himself today. The 2015 winner Jordan Spieth is back home having shot a blemish-free round of 69, his birdies coming at 8, 9 and 13. He was so unlucky that a 20-footer left-to-right swinging putt from the fringe at the back of 15 didn’t drop as well. And he nearly chipped in from the back of 18. So close to being so much better. At -1 overall he’s the very early clubhouse leader alongside debutant Max Greyserman.
Zach Johnson continues to blister his way around Augusta National, the 2007 champion rolling back the years on his 21st Masters start. He’s now birdied 15 and 16, making it six birdies in eight holes. He’s -5 overall, and properly in the mix. Should he par his way home, he’ll be signing for a joint-best-of-week 65.
-8: Rose
-7: DeChambeau
-6: McIlroy, Conners
-5: Z Johnson (16), McCarty, Lowry, Scheffler, Hatton
-4: Reed (3), Morikawa (2), Day (1), R Højgaard, Hovland
-3: Åberg (2), Matsuyama (2), Im (1)
-2: Rahm (16), An (12), Harman (5), Schauffele (4), Fleetwood (4)
Four birdies in a row for An Byeong-hun! Holes 8 through 11. With the exception of the first of those, a par-five that’s playing easiest all week, that’s supposed to be a very tricky run of holes. Well, not for An, who is beginning to enjoy himself around here, his tie for 16th last time round his best finish in the Masters. He’s -2 overall.
Tom Kim was the first man out today. With an odd number of players having made the cut – 53 – he went round with marker Michael McDermott, the Jeff Knox de nos jours, an Augusta National member good enough to have beaten future pro JB Holmes at the 2003 US Amateur. The relaxed atmosphere seems to have suited the fun-loving Kim to a tee, because he’s carded his best round of the week, a level-par 72, finishing with one heck of a flourish: lobbing high from just off the front of the 18th green, his ball taking one bounce before slam-dunking into the cup in outrageous fashion! Kim throws his putter into the sky, punches the air, then embraces McDermott, the pair hugging and laughing in a very infectious manner. Seek out the footage on the Masters website and try not to grin like a loon. It is impossible not to love Tom Kim.
An extremely smiley Bryson DeChambeau has a chat with CBS Sports. “If I can just keep it in the fairway … iron shots into the green … I watch a lot … see what players are doing … where the pin locations are … how people are playing it … trying to get comfortable with that … get my day started off a little late on purpose … feel comfortable like I’m just getting up, getting ready to go play some golf and have a good time … I’m excited … it’s gonna be a lot of fun!”
Shot of the week at 12 by Denny McCarthy! At the 155-yard par-three, he lands his ball five feet in front of the flag. A couple of tiny bounces take it a couple of feet closer, but no further. That’s a kick-in birdie, though. The 32-year-old from Florida, whose best finish here was a modest tie for 45th last year, moves into the red at -1 overall. So close there to only the fourth ace at 12 in Masters history. The others: the two-time US Open champion Curtis Strange in 1988, the amateur Bill Hyndman in 1959, and Claude Harmon, Butch’s dad, in 1947 (a year before his victory).
A downbeat start to Tommy Fleetwood’s round. He misreads a long putt from the back of 1, the ball ending pin high but having broken seven feet to the right. The attempt to save par is pulled left straight off the bat. The bogey knocks him back to -1. But in the following match it’s a fast start for one of the pre-tournament hot tips, though, as Collin Morikawa swishes his approach from 150 yards pin high and strokes in the ten-footer for birdie. He’s -4.
Rory McIlroy talks to CBS Sports. “It’s the same mindset today … take care of what I’m doing … try not to look around … try not watch the leaderboards … though they’re big and white and pretty unavoidable! … letting the score come to me … not trying to force the issue … follow the same plan I followed yesterday.”
Zach Johnson plays the par-five 13th in textbook fashion. A drive down the middle. A lay-up wedge around the corner. A chip from 85 yards to a couple of feet. That’s a birdie, and more evidence from him that you don’t need boom-boom length to succeed at Augusta National. It helps, of course it helps, the roll of honour shows that. But it’s not a complete deal-breaker. He’s now five under for his round today, and -3 overall.
Some Good Scoring dept. Some former champions are out there proving a low number is possible. Jon Rahm, of LIV Golf and Buyer’s Remorse fame, whose victory here somehow feels a lot longer than just a couple of years ago, flew out of the blocks this morning with three consecutive birdies. He’s currently level par for the Tournament. The 2015 champ Jordan Spieth has birdied 8, 9 and 13 in a currently flawless round; he’s -1 overall. And 2007 winner Zach Johnson is currently the hottest property out on the, er, property, having made birdies at 9, 10 and 12 plus eagle at 2. One bogey blemish at 6, and he’s -2 overall.
It’s a sunny day at Augusta National, if not a particularly warm one. The wind is expected to pick up a little as the day goes on, but not to any great extent, and not as blustery as yesterday afternoon. An outside chance of a rain shower later as well, though even if it arrives, nothing too dramatic is forecast. Throw in some attractive pin placements, and conditions are ripe for some good scoring.
Dunlap’s valedictory round would have been even more impressive had he not finished with three consecutive bogeys. But that wasn’t the most egregious late-round meltdown yesterday. Oh no. Not by a long chalk. Step forward 2019 and 2023 runner-up Brooks Koepka, who would be competing right now had he managed to make bogey at 18 last night. Sadly for the five-time major winner, he pulled his tee shot into the trees down the left and was forced to take an unplayable. After chopping back out, he short-sided himself in a swale to the left of the green with his fourth, chipped up weakly, and three-putted from there. A quadruple-bogey eight. Ooo-wee. Whether he feels as bad as Cameron Young, who would also be here today were it not for carelessly taking three putts from kick-in distance on 16, is a moot point, and a question I would most certainly be too scared/wise to put to the big man’s face.
Before things get wild, let’s take this opportunity to tip the cap to young Nick Dunlap. The 21-year-old shot 90 on Thursday, and many a player would have responded by playing the illness or injury card to minimise embarrassment before withdrawing quietly. But Dunlap took his frustration out on a bucket of range balls, then came back yesterday to post a one-under round of 71. He still missed the cut in last place, of course, but if they were handing out Green Jackets for moxie, Dunlap would surely be at the head of the queue. The differential between his first two rounds is the second-biggest in Masters history, the biggest still Craig Wood’s 88-67 effort in 1936. Wood went on to win the Masters five years later, so if you’re a fan of outlandish omens, pile your cash on Dunlap winning this Tournament in 2030.
Preamble
It’s Moving Day! Here’s what the top of the leaderboard looks like …
-8: Rose
-7: DeChambeau
-6: McIlroy, Conners
-5: McCarty, Lowry, Scheffler, Hatton
-4: R Højgaard, Hovland, Day
-3: Im, Åberg, Matsuyama, Reed, Morikawa
-2: Schauffele, Fleetwood, Riley, M Kim, Harman
-1: Watson, Burns, Echavarria, English, MW Lee
E: Hoge, Homa, Taylor, Berger, Fitzpatrick, Clark, Theegala, Thompson, Rai, Thomas
… here are some big names who have missed the cut …
Dustin Johnson, Bernhard Langer, Keegan Bradley, Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir, Fred Couples, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka (thanks to a quadruple-bogey eight up the last), Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, Billy Horschel, Phil Mickelson, Robert MacIntyre, Jose Maria Olazabal, Cameron Young (thanks to a four-putt from 12 feet at 16) and Will Zalatoris …
… and today’s tee times can be found here. We’ll get going here at 6pm BST. It’s on!
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