It was a busy opening day at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership, and we’re not even finished with the primary spherical. Tee occasions have been set again about two hours after Thursday started with a climate delay and left 27 gamers who couldn’t end, however there was nonetheless loads of motion to go round.
One of the best participant on this planet confirmed up and instantly reminded us but once more why he has that title, whereas a few gamers who’ve struggled at this course reversed their destiny within the span of a spherical, together with the stunning first-round chief.
Gusts of wind made situations robust on a golf course that already requires precision, making any rating underneath par not solely spectacular however notably vital on condition that Friday is predicted to deliver extra winds and a firmer floor.
With some gamers scheduled to play as much as 26 holes of golf Friday, listed here are some issues to observe for within the second spherical of the Masters.
Can a extra affected person Bryson DeChambeau compete at Augusta?
Augusta has not been type to DeChambeau. Since being the low newbie on the 2016 Masters, DeChambeau’s finest end has been a tie for 29, and he has missed the reduce the previous two years. However after a first-round 65, DeChambeau holds the lead heading into Friday and appears to have discovered a solution to play the course.
“Loads of endurance is required round this golf course,” DeChambeau mentioned. “I’ve tried to be a little bit bit smarter on the market on the golf course and never attempt to go for broke and go for each flag, however place it in the suitable place.”
The golfer who has, prior to now, sought out distance in any respect prices and gone by means of loads of swing and tools modifications was nowhere to be discovered Thursday. As a substitute, DeChambeau talked about being 30 now, getting the suitable tools and simply specializing in a single swing really feel, to not point out a wholesome dose of perspective to go together with all of it.
“I am not outdated, I nonetheless really feel like I am a teenager,” DeChambeau mentioned. “But it surely’s positively taken time to get snug and attending to a spot the place, you realize what, it doesn’t matter what occurs at this time, I am OK.”
Let’s be clear: The highly effective, quirky golfer remains to be in there, even whether it is in a slighter body. DeChambeau nonetheless bombs it — he averaged over 300 yards per drive Thursday — and he nonetheless has his oddities. In his information convention Thursday, he talked about every little thing from Snapchat to his YouTube content material serving to amateurs to Dude Good.
He isn’t your typical golfer, however that is perhaps precisely what the game wants. And if it has all gotten DeChambeau to a spot the place he can as soon as once more compete for majors, then the 2021 U.S. Open winner might need lastly discovered the suitable recipe so as to add to his cookbook.
Intentional or not, the highest three gamers on this planet have been all enjoying in back-to-back teams Thursday. Solely one in every of them left the golf course completely happy.
Scheffler stays inevitable. The No. 1 participant on this planet did not look to have his A-game, particularly on the entrance 9, and but he made the flip at 2 underneath and proceeded to play the again 9 in 4 underneath, taking him to six underneath on the bogey-free day and placing him in second place behind DeChambeau.
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Scheffler notably holed out from the again bunker on 12 for birdie and made birdies on 13, 15 and 16, too. If that is simply him getting began, the event may already be over.
“The majors are all the time very tough challenges and I like enjoying towards the perfect gamers,” Scheffler mentioned. “These tournaments I believe excite me a little bit bit, and I attempt to use that vitality for some enhanced focus.”
Rory McIlroy stays, properly, Rory McIlroy. Opening rounds at Augusta and the four-time main champion have by no means gotten alongside: McIlroy is taking pictures over 72 on common throughout his first two rounds on the Masters. On Thursday, he missed a 5-footer for birdie on the opening gap and made bogey on the par-5 second gap. It was not a really perfect begin.
However he bounced again, making birdies on 3, 8, 12 and 14. A bogey on 17 dampened his end and though he is six again of the chief, taking pictures higher than his common may bode properly for a Friday cost.
“That is form of embarrassing whether it is, however that is a superb factor,” McIlroy mentioned of this being his lowest opening spherical at Augusta. “Yeah, I suppose I stored it collectively. I caught to my sport plan.”
Defending Masters champion Rahm, now with LIV Golf, did not appear like his dominant self Thursday, opening up with a disappointing 73 that included an uncharacteristic 5 bogeys, together with two 3-putts on the again 9. Whether or not it was rust from not enjoying as many tournaments within the lead-up to Augusta as he did final yr or just a nasty day, Rahm has some work to do if he desires to compete.
“Sadly on that again 9 I missed a number of too many pictures,” Rahm mentioned. “By no means actually in a superb place to provide myself the perfect likelihood for birdies and ended up with what may have been a little bit bit higher of a rating. It is simply too dangerous.”
How’s the climate holding up?
After the morning rain dissipated and the solar reemerged, the wind at Augusta took middle stage. All through most of Thursday, the wind reached close to 20 mph with loads of gusts besides. All you needed to do was look on the timber or the yellow flags to know the situations weren’t straightforward.
“It is a tough golf course, that is all I can say,” Rahm mentioned.
“That is the factor about this place, is that you just get a lot wind, a lot swirling,” Will Zalatoris, who shot 70 on Thursday, mentioned. “It is enjoying brutal, but it surely’s a number of enjoyable proper now. The course was particularly reasonable.”
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Whether or not it was pictures into the par-3 fourth gap developing quick or approaches into the par-4 18 gap going lengthy, gamers had a tough time judging the gusts. Scheffler mentioned he felt just like the winds on the again 9 have been notably affecting. On the tenth gap, he hit a 4-iron that got here up quick the place he was enjoying for “35 yards of harm” solely to go lengthy on 12 earlier than holing out.
To additional underline the purpose, throughout his information convention after his spherical, Scheffler credited his caddie Ted Scott for merely guessing proper on the wind. For golf being a sport predicated on precision, Thursday at Augusta was an inexact science.
“The situations are tough,” McIlroy mentioned. “Arduous to completely decide to pictures on the market at occasions simply because the wind is — if it is throughout, it feels down at one level after which into. It is exhausting to decide to the place the wind path is at occasions.”
“Even committing to reads on greens,” McIlroy continued. “As a result of a few of these uncovered greens the wind can have an effect on the reads on these.”
“The wind was far and wide,” Tiger Woods mentioned. “It was one of the tough days that I’ve ever been part of. It was exhausting to get a beat not solely on what path it was going, however the depth, and it stored switching far and wide. … The timing was affecting putts on the greens. It was a really tough day.”
Friday will not be a lot simpler. In some methods, it could possibly be tougher. With no in a single day rain anticipated, the greens could possibly be firmer than they have been Thursday, and winds are anticipated to vary from 12 to twenty mph. Scores ought to and certain might be increased.
Exterior of DeChambeau, which LIV guys can climb the leaderboard?
4 LIV golfers appear to be properly positioned for good showings Friday.
Joaquín Niemann completed his spherical robust, making birdies on 15 and 17 to card a 2 underneath. Niemann’s ballstriking capabilities ought to bode properly if the wind continues. The identical factor might be mentioned for Cameron Smith, who performed a gradual spherical Friday, ending at 1 underneath.
“I would wish to suppose at this time I had a few of my finest stuff and that was a superb signal,” Smith mentioned. “However most likely over the subsequent few days I am not going to have my finest stuff, and you have to grind it out and keep within the event.”
Talking of grinding, each Patrick Reed and Tyrrell Hatton must come again to the course early Friday and attempt to proceed their under-par rounds regardless of the delay. Hatton, who by no means appears to play properly right here, completed 14 holes at 3 underneath, whereas Reed — who already has a inexperienced jacket — additionally completed 14 holes at 2 underneath.
An excellent par spherical for Sergio Garcia and 1 over for Phil Mickelson imply each are nonetheless considerably within the combine after someday. And let’s not overlook about what Mickelson did final yr, rising all the way in which as much as second place Sunday. It is exhausting to rely him out at Augusta.
If there was one participant who was disappointing among the many LIV crew Thursday, it was Brooks Koepka. The reigning PGA Championship winner who completed runner-up final yr performed solely 11 holes Thursday however left the course with the identical rating he had when he arrived: even par. There’s nonetheless a number of golf to play for Koepka; he wants it.
What can we count on to see from Woods?
For the second yr in a row, climate might need put Woods behind the 8-ball. After final yr’s climate delays as a consequence of storms threw Woods’ restoration plan into disarray and finally led to his withdrawal due to plantar fasciitis Sunday morning, a 2-hour, 30-minute climate delay Thursday ensured he wouldn’t be capable to end his opening spherical this yr.
Woods teed off at 3:47 p.m. ET, and the primary spherical was suspended at 7:51 p.m. ET, simply after he made a par putt on the thirteenth gap to take a seat at 1 underneath. In consequence, Woods will return Friday morning at 7:50 a.m. ET to complete off his final 5 holes earlier than additionally seemingly enjoying a full 18 the identical day.
For what it is value, Woods seemed remarkably regular throughout his stint Thursday, making birdies on the par-4 first gap and the par-5 eighth gap and carding just one bogey. His stroll seemed robust, and he hit a number of drives that went farther than 320 yards. His strategy sport, for essentially the most half, didn’t seem to have a lot rust both.
Now the true problem begins. Woods must bodily recuperate from Thursday whereas additionally getting ready to play 23 holes Friday. For a participant who has already mentioned he aches each day and desires loads of work simply to play 18 aggressive holes, it will not be straightforward. Thursday confirmed but once more why his sport can grasp with the perfect, however as all the time, it’s going to be as much as his physique to find out whether or not he can carry out and perhaps even compete.
Who’s lurking?
As stats guru Justin Ray identified on X, 26 of the previous 30 winners at Augusta have been at or inside 5 pictures of the lead after the opening spherical. The primary spherical may not be over, so whereas we won’t overlook about everybody who is not a minimum of 2 underneath, listed here are some names that would stand up the leaderboard within the second spherical.
Wyndham Clark was, at one level throughout his spherical, 3 underneath with 9 holes left. After dunking it within the water on 15, Clark dropped all the way in which to 1 over by the tip of his first ever spherical at Augusta. He rapidly shifted the narrative, nonetheless, by dropping maybe the quote of the day.
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“Yeah, we have got 54 holes. In LIV Golf they solely play 54, so I like my possibilities,” Clark mentioned. “We have got a number of golf left. As you possibly can see, somebody shot 7 underneath. I may do this tomorrow.”
Confidence is clearly one thing Clark is not missing, and the one massive mistake he made Thursday appears correctable, making me suppose he is sure to bounce up the leaderboard come Friday. And if not, hopefully he can hold making information on the dais.
There are many gamers who scored higher than Clark and are lurking after Thursday. Although he performed solely 13 holes with Woods, Max Homa put collectively a robust begin to his main bid by going 4 underneath throughout that stretch.
Zalatoris, who has two top-10 finishes at Augusta in as many begins, additionally touched 4 underneath at one level Thursday after an eagle on 13. He bounced again to 2 underneath to complete his opening spherical.
Amongst gamers who have not completed but, it is not possible to look previous the younger Ryder Cup duo of Nicolai Højgaard and Ludvig Åberg. The previous skyrocketed as much as third place with a rating of 5 underneath by means of 15 holes earlier than the spherical was suspended, whereas the latter did not make a bogey by means of 11 holes and sits at 2 underneath with seven holes to play Friday morning.
The group at 1 underneath is especially robust, too, that includes Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland. Ought to DeChambeau and Scheffler come again right down to earth a bit, this might in a short time change into a crowded leaderboard.
