DAY Two - Masters: Rose Holds On After Shaky Start

The second round on Friday saw cooler and cloudier conditions at Augusta National, bringing softer playing conditions for the day and better scoring conditions. However, first round leader Justin Rose struggled, particularly early, starting with a wayward tee shot on the opening hole, leading to a bogey to start his round. After a birdie at the second, Rose couldn’t find his game, recording three bogeys without a birdie over the next ten holes. On the second nine, he managed to turn around his day with three birdies coming in, recording a roller coaster round of an even par 72. He maintained the lead but, on a day, when 39 players shot under par, Rose’s 72 may have felt more like an 82 given his inability to maintain his lead over the field.

Two unlikely names in Brian Harman and rookie Will Zalatoris finished just a shot back after recording rounds of 69 and 68, respectively. Lurking two shots back of Rose were Jordan Spieth, the 2015 champion, and Mark Leishman, who got his round off to a roaring start with birdies on the first three holes.

Tony Finau made a charge after an eagle at the second and getting to six-under through the first ten holes. He finished with a round of 66 , at –4 under, along with Justin Thomas, Si Woo Kim, Cameron Champ, Hideki Matsuyama, and Bernd Weisberger.

In the mix at –3 under is Xander Schauffele, who recorded five birdies and two bogeys on his way to a 69. Corey Conners, Collin Morikawa, Ryan Palmer and Cameron Smith — were all precariously close to the projected cut line after day one, but posted scores under 70 today and are safely thru to the weekend at –2 under for the tournament.

Fueled by four birdies over the last five holes. Bryson DeChambeau rebounded from his poor opening round, joining a group of three others at –1 under. Of the 11 players finishing the first 36 holes at even par, only Abraham Ancer posted a score under 70 in the second round. Others at even par include Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, and Bubba Watson.

Lingering around the cut line after the opening round, Kevin Na had a steady round of 70 that included three straight birdies from 11 through 13 and made the cut at +1. Also at +1 include notables such as Harris English, Gary Woodland, and 2018 Champion, Patrick Reed, who struggled to a round of 75.

Webb Simpson had a rough day that included seven bogeys and a double bogey, leading to a round of 76. He just squeaked in under the cut line at +2. Veterans Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, and Adam Scott were other notables who will stick around for the weekend, all coming in at +3 after 36 holes.

Missing the cut by a stroke were Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia. The biggest surprise however, was defending champion Dustin Johnson, who ran away with the tournament last November winning with a score of –20 under for the tournament.

Today, he had four birdies on the front nine, but those were offset by a double bogey on the 5th and bogeys at the 1st and 6th holes. After getting to +2 heading to the par 5, 15th hole, the wheels came off for DJ. Bogeys on 15, 17, and 18 sent Johnson packing after a round of 75 and score of +5 total.

Brooks Koepka also heads home after a +5 total while Rory McIlroy continues to look lost on the course, finishing at +6 for the tournament. McIlroy continues to search for answers after having another poor outing in his 2021 season. Matthew Wolff was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard, however, he still would have fallen outside the cut line.