An elite field averaged 75.08, the highest second round at the Masters since 2007.
Players who had to finish their opening rounds had enough holes to complete to feel Augusta National’s Friday wrath.
The first nine at Augusta National was a puzzle Homa couldn’t solve in his first four Masters starts.
Aberg is the first rookie to have the solo low round of the day in a Masters since Smylie Kaufman shot 69 in Round 3 in 2016.
No player has won the Masters in his major championship debut, and no Masters first-timer has won the green jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
It’s just the fourth time since 2000 that plus-six and better qualified players for a Saturday tee time at Augusta National.
It’s the third time since 2000 that two players age 58 or older have made the cut at the Masters.
Thirty-six of the last 37 Masters champions have been in the top 10 entering the third round.
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At Augusta National Golf Club on Friday, Mother Nature unleashed her version of a flag-peppering 64, even though the name won’t appear on any leaderboards.
Throughout the day, strong winds lifted bunker contents into the air, occasionally knocked golf balls off course, and forced numerous player step-offs and shot reevaluations. With 36 holes remaining, three American stars were tied for first place when the dust finally settled—literally in this case.
Here are the key figures and takeaways from the second day of the 88th Masters.
1. A strong field averaged 75.08 points, the highest Masters second round since 2007. For the first time since 1976, when it played 1 point85 shots harder, the increase from Round 1 to Round 2 at the Masters was 1 point65 strokes. The field made 7% fewer greens in regulation on approach shots than it did on Thursday, with an increase of more than 4 feet in average proximity to the hole.
Naturally, Round 2 wasn’t the only instance of carnage. Augusta National’s Friday wrath was felt by players who needed to finish their opening rounds because they had enough holes left. Brian Harman, the current Open champion, shot a second-nine 47, the highest score by a player under 50 since 2009. Dustin Johnson made Masters history four years ago when he hit 20 under par. He made back-to-back double bogeys on Friday for the first time in his Masters career. Being the only player to do so multiple times in the last 20 years, Jordan Spieth made his second career nine on the fifteenth hole.
2. Although it wasn’t always pretty, Scottie Scheffler tied for first place going into the weekend with a second-round score of 72. After 18 career rounds at the Masters, Scheffler’s tally of greens in regulation was just 10. Nonetheless, Scottie’s short game was excellent once more. In Round 2, he gained well over a shot and a half, good for second place in the field in strokes gained around the green.
Right now, Scheffler’s inevitable presence near the top of the leaderboard casts a shadow over professional golf. After play on Friday, Scheffler was in the top 10 for the thirty-first major championship round since 2021 — seven more than any other player during that time. Since January, he has not finished a golf tournament with a worse finish than tied for eleventh after two rounds. Scheffler beat the field average in a major round on Friday for the 25th time since 2020, which is the most of any player during that period.
With only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Seve Ballesteros older than him, the 27-year-old would be the fourth-youngest player in history to win a second green jacket if he prevails this week.
3. For the fourth time, the No. At the Masters, the top player according to the Official World Golf Ranking is ahead after 36 holes. The other three were Scheffler two years ago (won), Johnson in 2020 (won), and Greg Norman in 1996 (finished second).
It wasn’t until the fifth hole of his second round that Scheffler made a bogey for the tournament. When was the last time a No. One player in the world, Woods, started a major at the 2000 Open at St. Petersburg and completed more than 22 holes without missing a single shot. Andrews, with 37 holes. Johnson also completed the first 22 holes of the 2020 Masters without making a mistake; he had a successful week.
4. Bryson DeChambeau struggled to a 73 in the second round, one day after shooting a Masters career-low 65. In challenging circumstances, DeChambeau made four fewer regulation putts and, having gained more than three strokes in the category the day before, was almost field-neutral in strokes gained every day. In a major championship, this is the first time Bryson has taken the lead after consecutive rounds.
Even though DeChambeau is divisive, winning would be an indisputable accomplishment. There have only been four American players to win both the U.S. s. Bryson already has the Open and the Masters in tow, and he must be 30 years of age or younger. Woods, Spieth, Arnold Palmer, and Nicklaus make up the quartet. DeChambeau’s driver will, understandably, be crucial if he arrives. Through two rounds, he is the tournament leader in strokes gained off the tee.
5. Max Homa went on to write his best major performance to date just hours before Scheffler and DeChambeau took the stage. Homa shares the 36-hole lead after hitting a second-round 71, which included a field-best 15 greens.
Homa struggled to solve the puzzle of the first nine holes at Augusta National during his first four Masters starts. Over 28% of the holes he played, he made bogey or worse, and over his last 12 rounds, he was 23 over. He’s bogey-free this week and 6 under through nine. In terms of strokes gained approach and strokes gained putting, Homa is third and sixth in the field after two rounds.
After a tie between Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, and Payne Stewart in the 1985 Masters, this is the first time three American players have shared the lead after 36 holes. The following week, Bernhard Langer emerged victorious.
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At last, Max Homa is making his breakthrough as a master.
6. At the Masters Tournament on Friday, Woods elevated his name to the top of yet another section of the record book. Woods holds the record for the most consecutive cuts made at the Masters with a perfect 24-for-24 record as a professional. He broke a tie with Fred Couples, who played from 1983 to 2007, and Gary Player, who played without missing a cut from 1959 to 1982.
It is noteworthy that all three players experienced years without competing during their streaks. With 21 (1975-1995), Watson holds the record for the most years in a row that he has made the cut.
Half of the eight players on the list who have ever made 24 or more Masters cuts—let alone in a row, as Woods has—are those four legends. For the first two rounds of his illustrious Masters career, Woods defeated the field scoring average eighty times. Woods’ career rate of beating the field is 81.7%, which is the second-highest among players who have played 30 rounds or more. It is only slightly lower than Lloyd Mangrum’s 81.7% and just higher than Ben Hogan’s 79.6%.
The 28-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson also made the cut. A tie for fourth most in tournament history is broken by Mickelson’s performance this week, which also involves Raymond Floyd and Langer. Woods and Mickelson have both made the cut at the Masters for the 23rd time.
6. Two rookies from the Masters who competed for Europe in the Ryder Cup last year are sure to be mentioned this weekend. In his first round at the Masters, Nicolai Højgaard tied the record for the lowest first-round score by a European player on Friday morning with a round of 67 (David Gilford, 1995). Højgaard is alone in fourth place after two rounds; he is the only player this week with more strokes gained around the green than Scheffler.
In the second round, however, Ludvig Aberg was the only player to break 70. Since Smylie Kaufman’s 69 in Round 3 of the 2016 Masters, Aberg is the first rookie to have the day’s single lowest round. Since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, no player has won the green jacket at the Masters in his first major championship.
8. Since 2017, the cut line at the Masters has been the highest, at six over. Just four times since 2000 have players who are plus-six or better qualified for a Saturday tee time at Augusta National. The aforementioned Spieth, whose 79 in Round 1 was his lowest career score at the Masters by three strokes, was one of those who failed to make the cut.
Numerous major champions were leaving early, including him. Walking up to the 15th tee, Justin Thomas was even par for the tournament. However, he played his final four holes in seven overs, missing the cut by one. Johnson’s worst 36-hole score of his major career was 78-79. Following his victory at the 2020 Masters, Johnson is currently 27 over par.
9. The following information is made even more remarkable in that light: Vijay Singh, 61, and José María Olazábal, 58, made the cut and will play this weekend. Under the Ronald Reagan presidency, both players won their first major championship. In formal Masters competition, they have amassed a total of over 15,000 strokes.
Two players who are 58 years of age or older have made the cut at the Masters for the third time since 2000. While Nicklaus and Tommy Aaron succeeded in 2000, couples and Langer did so in 2018.
Ten. By the time the third round arrived, thirty-six out of the previous 37 Masters champions were ranked. In 2011, Charl Schwartzel became the last player to win the Masters after trailing by more than four strokes after two rounds.
Jackie Burke Jr. holds the record for the biggest comeback to win over 36 holes. who, at the halfway point in 1956, was eight seconds behind Ken Venturi.
(Main image of Bryson DeChambeau courtesy of Maddie Meyer and Getty Images).
