[ad_1]
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was a wild, windy day at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership, the place even par was a great rating and something higher may as nicely have been a miracle.
Winds as much as 45 mph and a agency golf course didn’t permit for a lot scoring as solely 14 gamers have been underneath par and the highest rating after the second spherical completed remained the place it started — 7 underneath.
Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau discover themselves tied atop the leaderboard after 36 robust holes with loads of gamers lurking under able to make a weekend run, together with Tiger Woods.
Listed here are the highest storylines heading into the weekend:
Can Scottie Scheffler maintain on?
Schlabach: I picked Scheffler to win by 5 strokes earlier than the event, and I am not backing down after 36 holes. I’ve to confess that I used to be anticipating extra from him within the second spherical, however the swirling winds and gusts of greater than 30 mph have been tough for everybody — even the No. 1 golfer on the earth and finest ball striker on the planet.
Except somebody makes an sudden cost from exterior the highest 10, I nonetheless like Scheffler’s probabilities to win a inexperienced jacket greater than anyone else’s. Max Homa performed nice over the primary 36 holes, however he hasn’t carried out nicely in majors till now. I am nonetheless not satisfied Bryson DeChambeau’s iron play will maintain up — except the brand new irons he constructed with a 3D printer are actually that good.
Collin Morikawa may be a reliable risk if his putter stays scorching. Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young are good gamers, however they’re nonetheless looking for their first PGA Tour victories. Nicolai Højgaard and Ludvig Åberg are extraordinarily proficient, however have they got sufficient expertise to win a serious?
Uggetti: He won’t be within the lead by himself, however given Scheffler’s dominant play as of late, it seems like he is all the time received a leg up on the sector at any time when he tees it up. Do not get me flawed — Scheffler has performed good golf. But it surely nonetheless does not really feel like he is taking part in as much as his full potential, which we could possibly be witness to come back the weekend.
Scheffler is definitely gaining strokes placing (+0.33) on the sector, which speaks to his enchancment on the greens, an space that has sometimes held him again. Unsurprisingly, Scheffler can also be main the sector in strokes gained: tee to inexperienced, a statistic on which he has led all the PGA Tour this season. In that manner, the beginning of the foremost season has been no totally different.
“I believe main championship golf tends to simply be very mentally grinding,” Scheffler mentioned. “Simply with how a lot the wind is blowing. It may be so tough, and you recognize, you have simply received to do your finest to chill out as a lot as attainable on the market and try to execute.” No person is best at executing than Scheffler. With the afternoon winds making the late rounds a lot tougher, he was nonetheless capable of stay on the prime of the leaderboard. Put the very best participant on the earth towards Homa, DeChambeau or anybody else in the identical situations, and good luck making an attempt to beat him.
What’s your expectation for Tiger Woods on the weekend?
Schlabach: I wasn’t positive if Tiger would even make the reduce this week provided that he had performed solely 24 holes of golf in a single PGA Tour occasion earlier than the Masters. Now, I am satisfied you may’t depend Woods out at Augusta Nationwide — even when he is taking part in with a fused again and proper ankle. He is solely 7 pictures behind the leaders, which is not insurmountable over 36 holes.
Tiger regarded a lot better strolling Friday afternoon than he did within the morning. The brief turnaround from when play was suspended within the first spherical shortly earlier than 8 p.m. ET Thursday, and the restart at 7:45 a.m. on Friday wasn’t sufficient time for Woods to get well and get his physique began once more. He regarded drained and sluggish early, however he finally warmed up and performed nicely within the second spherical.
With a 1-over rating after 36 holes, Woods will not have an early tee time on Saturday, so he’ll get some extra relaxation earlier than the third spherical. He is driving the ball nice off the tee and his work across the greens remains to be world-class. There is no query his lack of reps has affected his iron play and placing — he was 1-for-19 on putts exterior 10 toes over the primary 36 holes — however he made some clutch putts to avoid wasting par on Friday.
I do not suppose Tiger goes to win a inexperienced jacket on Sunday, however I am undecided a top-10 end is not out of the query for the 15-time main champion.
Uggetti: A 1-over end in these situations to make his file twenty fourth reduce on the Masters is an unimaginable feat for Woods. He is nonetheless nicely again of the leaders, but it surely’s unattainable to depend him out not less than competing for a top-10 end, if not higher.
Woods is aware of this golf course higher than anybody within the subject and has the potential to thrive in windy situations. Watching him on Friday as he performed 23 holes, it was evident each how a lot he used his course information to his benefit and the way a lot better he may have scored had his placing been barely improved.
Maybe the weekend will convey a greater end result for Woods on the greens as he will get snug with the velocity. Thus far, regardless of his placing shortcomings, he has stored himself in it because of nice driving (11 of 14 fairways in each rounds) and an unimaginable brief recreation. Woods has gone each excessive and low to avoid wasting pars and it has been thrilling to look at him get out and in of robust conditions. That creativity ought to proceed to assist him.
As Mark mentioned, most significantly, Woods seems to be wholesome. He was visibly drained from his marathon day Friday, however he was nonetheless strolling nicely. Although he clearly wanted just a few holes to get heat Friday morning, there have been few, if any, indicators of pressure on his again or legs. The forecast is barely speculated to get hotter from right here on out, which ought to bode nicely for Woods, too.
“I desire it heat, humid and scorching,” Woods mentioned earlier this week.
On the very least, there will definitely be a second Saturday when Woods makes some type of cost. Buckle up.
What do Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa must do to win their first inexperienced jacket?
Schlabach: Each of them appear to be in a very nice spot mentally, and staying assured and relaxed goes to be essential on the weekend. They’re each taking part in very nicely in the mean time.
Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and some of the proficient golfers on the earth. However his observe file in majors coming into the Masters was terrible: He had one top-10 end and two top-25s in 17 such begins. Homa lastly appears satisfied that he is ok to win a serious, and that is most likely been the most important impediment holding him again.
Over the primary 36 holes, he hit 72.2% of greens and 71.4% of fairways. He was gaining 2 strokes on the sector in placing. If Homa retains that up, he will be robust to beat.
DeChambeau gained the 2020 U.S. Open and carded a 58 within the LIV Golf League final 12 months. The man nonetheless hits it a rustic mile — he had a 372-yard bomb off the tee on the seventeenth gap within the second spherical — however his recreation has matured past a dude who crushes it. He appears to be extra affected person and deliberate. He is making an attempt to hit it to the best spots and has been avoiding the flawed ones. He is top-of-the-line putters on the market (he is gaining near 2 strokes on the sector on the greens) and his iron play was distinctive within the first spherical.
Uggetti: Endurance. You understand that Scheffler will play methodical, sensible golf and put himself in the best locations round Augusta this weekend. The query is: Can both Homa or DeChambeau do it too? Thus far each have proved they’ll hold, particularly in robust situations. Each have hit over 72% of greens in regulation this week — which tops the sector.
Watching Homa flight his strategy pictures within the wind by means of two days has been a delight, and even Tiger has been impressed on the ball flight Homa has been producing.
“He is received all of the expertise on the earth,” Woods mentioned of Homa, his taking part in companion through the first two rounds. “… His ball flight, as stable as he hits it, it is only a matter of time earlier than he begins successful in bunches. I noticed it up entrance; he does not actually mishit pictures. That is one thing you simply must do round this golf course.”
In the meantime, DeChambeau retains taking part in like a extra mature, restrained model of the participant who gained the 2020 U.S. Open. He could also be aided by 3D-printed irons and a Krank driver, however the man is displaying he has the sport to win one other main. Sustaining that restraint can be key.
Which participant underneath par could make a weekend cost?
Schlabach: Collin Morikawa is a two-time main champion, however he has gained solely as soon as on tour since choosing up his second one at The Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Membership in England in July 2021.
This season, Morikawa hasn’t had a top-10 end since tying for fifth on the Sentry, the season opener in Hawaii, on Jan. 7. He tied for forty fifth on the Gamers Championship and for seventy fifth within the Valero Texas Open in his two most up-to-date begins.
Morikawa has discovered one thing at Augusta Nationwide. He’s 3 underneath after 36 holes and carded a 2-under 70 within the second spherical. He is proper there within the combine.
Morikawa got here into the week ranked eightieth on tour in strokes gained: strategy (.120) and 164th in strokes gained: placing (-.531). Thus far within the Masters, he’s gaining almost 2.5 strokes on strategy and greater than 1.25 strokes in placing, in line with Knowledge Golf. If his kind holds up over the ultimate 36 holes, Morikawa could possibly be an element Sunday.
“Simply stored the ball in entrance of me,” Morikawa mentioned. “Look, I have been grinding and needed to discover one thing in a swing thought to work this week, and we discovered one thing early on Monday, and we’re simply type of sticking with that.
“It is nonetheless not good, however good does not must be on the market. I will play good golf and plot my manner round this golf course. Particularly with the wind out right here, you needed to simply type of actually keep affected person on the market.”
Uggetti: As if we would have liked any extra proof that Ludvig Åberg is a possible star within the making. The Swede adopted up a spherical of 73 on Thursday with a ridiculous 69 on Friday, which was simply the bottom spherical of the day for any participant and beat the sector common by over 6 strokes.
What’s possibly extra spectacular is that Åberg was 2 over seven holes into his second spherical and proceeded to go 4 underneath over his final 11. Åberg is clearly not fazed by the second or the stage, particularly after participating in a Ryder Cup, and I do not suppose he can be unprepared for what the weekend at Augusta holds both.
“I believe, when you’re strolling between the pictures, you may soak it in as a lot as you may,” Åberg mentioned of his debut. “However when you’re over the ball, as soon as you are making the selections of what you wish to do, that is once you’re in event mode.”
Together with his size and accuracy off the tee, Åberg is a risk to make a lot of birdies if his strategy recreation is dialed. He is hitting solely 55% of greens in regulation to this point. If that quantity improves, he is sure to maintain rising up the leaderboard.
Who’s the most important disappointment to this point?
Schlabach: We most likely should not have anticipated a lot from two-time main championship winner Justin Thomas after he parted methods with caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay simply final week. Thomas has struggled mightily for a lot of the previous two seasons, and he had a missed reduce on the Gamers Championship and a tie for sixty fourth on the Valspar Championship in his two most up-to-date begins.
However JT’s collapse on the ultimate 4 holes of the second spherical Friday was completely gorgeous. After carding an even-par 72 within the first spherical, Thomas was in nice form after he picked up a birdie on the par-5 thirteenth within the second spherical. He was even par after 14 holes.
What occurred subsequent was inexplicable. Thomas went double bogey, double bogey, bogey and double bogey over the past 4 holes to complete 7 over and miss the reduce by 1 stroke.
On the 2023 Masters, Thomas made bogeys on three of the ultimate 4 holes to overlook the reduce by 1. That end appeared to ship him right into a tailspin, and this one is barely going to make issues worse for his confidence.
Uggetti: Thomas’ good good friend, Jordan Spieth, was arguably worse this week. From the second the event started, Spieth put himself in a horrible place along with his first tee shot and strategy to the primary inexperienced. He made double bogey there, and it did not get a lot better.
Over the 36 holes, Spieth made seven bogeys, one double, one quadruple bogey and solely 4 birdies to complete 9 strokes over par and nicely exterior the reduce line.
[ad_2]
Source link
