In just his 17th major championship appearance, Collin Morikawa has a chance to hoist his third such trophy.
To say Morikawa’s presence on a major leaderboard is a surprise would be foolish, though he has not performed to expectation this season.
His golf ball was on a string all day — to no one’s surprise — and at one point, Åberg found his name atop the leaderboard.
2024 Masters leaderboard, Round 2 1.
Scottie Scheffler (-7): A birdie on the difficult 18th put Scheffler’s name alone atop the leaderboard heading into the final round.
It represents his second 54-hole lead in the last three Masters with the prior edge of three strokes producing a green jacket.
Collin Morikawa (-6): It was a dream start for Morikawa as he went birdie-birdie-birdie out the gate to push his name up the leaderboard.
Both Niemann and Hatton most likely need to finish inside the top 12 to earn invitations into next year’s Masters.
With this opportunity, Collin Morikawa, in just his 17th major championship appearance, could raise his third such trophy. In the final round of the 2024 Masters, the two-time major champion is only one stroke behind the world’s most attractive golfer, Scottie Scheffler, who leads the 54-hole leaderboard at 7 under. It was not expected of him going into the week.
Morikawa’s 3-under 69 late in the day was only surpassed by Chris Kirk’s morning score at Augusta National, where he was one of just two players to break 70. Morikawa hasn’t played up to expectations this season, but it would be naive to say that his inclusion on a significant leaderboard is surprising.
Despite constantly ranking in the top three on the PGA Tour, Morikawa was 80th in strokes gained approach going into the week due to difficulties with his trademark iron play. His superpower was missing, and in the first three months of the year, Morikawa’s familiar runs of consistency and contention were nowhere to be found.
But let this be a reminder that Morikawa is among the best; big titles have a way of bringing out the best in players.
On Sunday, Morikawa will try to complete a career grand slam in three legs in addition to attempting to win his third major. The 27-year-old already owns a Claret Jug and Wanamaker Trophy, but there’s a missing green jacket . from his wardrobe. not for very long, maybe.
Morikawa and Scheffler are in the final pairing on Sunday, but they will play one group ahead of another young talent vying for a big break. At the ANGC, 24-year-old Ludvg Åberg displayed exceptional play once more, finishing with a 2-under 70 to set a record as the youngest golfer to win the Masters in his very first major championship.
No one was surprised that Åberg’s golf ball was on a string the entire day, and at one point, he saw his name at the top of the leaderboard. The Swede is only three behind Scheffler going into the final 18 holes, and if he continues to play well, he might even be able to win a green jacket. Unfortunately, he made a few bad mistakes late in his round that dropped him from the lead pack to the chasing pack.
Second round of the 2024 Masters leaderboard.
1. Scottie Scheffler (-7): Going into the last round, Scheffler’s name alone was at the top of the leaderboard thanks to a birdie on the challenging 18th hole. This is his second 54-hole lead in the last three Masters; his first lead of three strokes resulted in a green jacket. The world No. Not only did I not feel at my best on Saturday, but I didn’t feel like it mattered most of the week either. On his first nine holes, he missed several birdie opportunities and made a critical tactical error on No. 10, which results in a double bogey. The momentum shifted with a huge par save on the par-3 12th after another missed shot on the 11th. Scheffler’s eagle on No. 3 once arose up to three shots ago. His return to the top of the leaderboard was made possible by his 13 and other moves. He added yet another on No. 15 before attempting the last three holes at even par.
2. Collin Morikawa (-6): Morikawa had an incredible start, shooting up the leaderboard with a birdie-birdie-birdie start. His fourth birdie of the front nine came two holes after he missed a short putt for par on the par-3 sixth. After that, Morikawa made 10 straight pars on his way home, including two that easily could have been birdies on the par-5s. A player doesn’t often get the chance to win his third major in fewer than 20 starts, but Morikawa will have that chance on Sunday.
3. Max Homa(-5): Every major has rounds where the winner simply lacks it. They need to persevere in the given circumstances and record a score. On Saturday, Homa carried out precisely that. Homa barely lost ground, carding 17 pars and one bogey. He scorched the greens with what seemed like a thousand edges, but he persisted mentally and kept going. With two names ahead of him and 32 holes without a birdie, he will have to go out and win the green jacket on Sunday.
4. Ludvig Åberg (-4): The notable newcomer appears composed, cool, and collected. After finishing his first 13 holes at 4-under par (without a bogey), Åberg briefly took the lead on his second nine. The young Swede made two straight doubles after reaching the summit, including a careless bogey on the par-5 15th when he was greenside in two. He still has a chance to make history by being the first rookie to win the Masters in 45 years.
5. Bryson DeChambeau (-3): The leader in the 18- and 36-hole formats felt totally abandoned during the second nine holes. After finishing his first eight holes at even par, DeChambeau rode the rollercoaster. After trading two birdies and two bogeys on his first five holes of the inward half, he started to lose control. At the par-5 15th hole, a chunked pitch from about 45 yards right of the green found the water, making a double bogey. A bogey on the sixteenth hole was followed by a birdie on the eighteenth, but DeChambeau recovered in an improbable way. He still has a chance.
T6. Nicolai Hojgaard, Cameron Davis, and Xander Schauffele (-2): Schauffele is merely idle. Despite shooting 72, 72, and a bogey-free 70 today, the Olympic gold medallist has not yet shot over par this week. Despite only having six birdies on the day, he has shown remarkable restraint in not making large numbers. Schauffele stated that his objective was to finish at four under. On the eighth and ninth holes, he missed several opportunities to make birdie from within ten feet. He is still competitive at 2 under.
Schauffele said, “I’m just trying to play my way into the tournament.”. “I simply reminded myself that it’s playing hard and that you could get some shots in the wrong direction if you start acting aggressively around the property. Reaching 4 was my objective for today. That seemed feasible to me. I just couldn’t handle it anymore today. Kind of have to head out tomorrow and shoot something absurd. “.
T9. Tommy Fleetwood, Byeong Hun An, Cameron Young, and Cameron Smith (-1): All four Camerons shot 72, but Young’s particularly looked like old-school Moving Day shots. The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year hit a wall on the par-3 12th hole, making a double bogey after leading 2 under through his first six holes. To stay in red figures for the tournament, he traded a few birdies for a couple bogeys.
13. Cantlay gave a throwback performance on Saturday, accompanied by Lucas Glover and Adam Schenk (E). The former FedEx Cup champion put it into overdrive when no one else was around, as he was insignificant through the first 36 holes. Due to three birdies on the first three par-5s, he had pulled it into red figures. However, a lost putt on the 18th will leave him starting the final round at even par.
T21. Rory McIlroy, Will Zalatoris, Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann (+3): McIlroy sandwiched two 71s around his second-round 77, but the two LIV Golfers might be the real story here. Niemann and Hatton will probably need to place in the top 12 in order to receive invitations to the Masters the following year. Though it’s not out of the question, if they want to drive down Magnolia Lane in 2025, they’ll need to make Sundays special.
