American golfers Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa took the lead of the Augusta Masters after the second round on Friday, in which Tiger Woods He broke a new tournament record by making the cut for the 24th time in a row.
An infernal wind at the Augusta National Golf Club wreaked havoc for the second consecutive day among the 89 participants, of whom only 14 were below par at the halfway point of this emblematic Grand Slam tournament.
The Spanish Jon Rahm, current owner of the green jacket, came close to elimination in the second half of his tour but stayed alive with a cumulative score of 149 strokes (five over par) in 44th place.
The top of the table is shared by Scheffler, the number one in the world ranking, and his compatriots DeChambeau and Homa, all of them with a cumulative score of 138 strokes (-6).
The fight between Scheffler, champion at Augusta in 2022, and DeChambeau, winner of the US Open in 2020, also symbolizes the division that exists in the world of golf.
DeChambeau is one of 13 members of the rebel LIV Golf circuit competing at Augusta while Scheffler is the undisputed figure of the PGA since the high-profile departure of Jon Rahm in December.
Max Homa, world number 11, is for now the unexpected guest in the fight for the first major of the year. The Californian has only finished in the top 10 of a large tournament once, but very authoritative voices warned this Friday of his potential.
Above the luca at the top, the attention of the day in Augusta focused on Tiger Woods’ titanic effort to stay alive in the tournament and break a new mark in his legendary career.
At 48 years old, Tiger was able to overcome a grueling 23-hole day and make the Masters cut for the 24th time in a rowbroke the tie he had with Fred Couples and Gary Player.
Battling against the wind and his own physical limitations, the American finished his second round in 72 strokes (even) for a cumulative score of 145 (+1) that left him in twenty-second place.
At Augusta, where he won the first of his 15 Grand Slam titles in 1997 and the last in 2019, the Californian only missed the cut in 1996 when he was playing as an amateur.
This Friday, the American emblem was one of the 27 players who got up early to finish the first round, which was inconclusive on Thursday due to a delay due to rain.
Woods closed the first round in 73 strokes (+1) and, with hardly any rest, he faced the 18 holes of the second round encouraged throughout by a crowd of fans who cheered every shot of their idol.
The consequences on his right leg from the serious car accident in 2021, added to his multiple back surgeries, made it difficult for Tiger to take long walks through this undulating field of almost 6,800 meters, where he has triumphed five times.
Woods experienced a roller coaster of four birdies and four bogeys but managed to finish his 23rd hole of the day exhausted.
“I’m tired,” he admitted later. “It’s been a long 23 holes, a long day. But we put up a good fight today, and we have a chance.”
For his part, Jon Rahm looked close to elimination on Friday in another gray performance in which he survived thanks to two providential birdies in the final stretch.
The Spaniard, who has still not missed the cut in his eight appearances at Augusta, wanted to amend his disappointing first round of 73 strokes (+1) but on Friday he started in the same way, stumbling with three bogeys in his first 11 holes that placed him at the edge of the line.
On the 14th hole Rahm made a double bogey that left him virtually eliminated but he resurfaced with two birdies in a row, the second of them with a spectacular 15.2 meter putt that lifted the spectators from their seats on the 16th hole.
Of the four Latin American representatives, the Chilean Joaquín Niemann (35th place with +4) and the Colombian Camilo Villegas (44th with +5) will compete in the decisive weekend while the Mexican amateur Santiago de la Fuente (+10) and the Argentine say goodbye Emiliano Grillo (+15).
Source: Ambito
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