AUGUSTA — Justin Rose held onto the lead at the Masters, but much of the discussion Friday was focused on the roars created and the moves made by fast-charging Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy.
Rose shot a steady 1-under 71 to stand at 8-under 136 and will begin the third round with a one-stroke advantage over DeChambeau, who shot 68, and a two-shot edge over McIlroy, who shot 66, the low round of the day, and Canadian Corey Conners, who shot 70.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, playing in the afternoon wave when conditions were tougher because of the wind, had tree troubles on the 18th hole and shot 71, leaving him tied for fifth place at 5-under 139 with left-hander Matt McCarty, Shane Lowry and LIV golfer Tyrrell Hatton.
“The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there,” Rose said. “So, you’re going to have to play great golf, and you’re going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it. It’s as simple as that.”
Rose did a good job of managing his game and leaning on his wedge play, which he rated as an “8″ this week. He wedged his way to pars at Nos. 4, 8 and 10, and while he did not birdie either of the par 5s on the back nine, but birdied both the par-3 holes.
“Overall, under par, in a great position going into the weekend,” Rose said.
But while Rosie was marking time, DeChambeau and McIlroy had their feet to the accelerator. DeChambeau shot 68 and is the only player to post two rounds in the 60s. McIlroy atoned for his disastrous back nine Thursday, which included two double bogeys, by closing with a 31 and shooting 66.
It was McIlroy’s best score since a final-round 64 in 2022 — when he was not in contention — and puts him in contention to win his elusive first Masters and complete the career Grand Slam.
“I think overall just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night,” McIlroy said. “I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf (Thursday) and I wasn’t going to let two bad holes dictate the narrative for the rest of the week.”
DeChambeau recorded his fifth career round in the 60s at Augusta. He held the 36-hole Masters lead last year and finished tied for sixth.
“I feel like I’m doing a good job of staying in the moment, not thinking about the next hole, not thinking about the putt, not thinking about anything else,” DeChambeau said. “Just saying, hey, I’m right here, right now. What do I need to do to give myself the best chance to make birdie or par out there, whatever it is.”
Scheffler made his first bogey of the tournament on the seventh hole and had an un-Scottie-like ride the rest of the afternoon. Over the final 12 holes he made five bogeys and four birdies. Exhausted, he sat under a magnolia tree on the 18th hole while awaiting an official to come and make a ruling.
“I had a couple three-putts, I didn’t hit as many fairways, I got myself in trouble off the tee on 18,” Scheffler said. “It’s really tough out there with the conditions. Extremely challenging when you get greens this fast and you get that much win, especially when it’s gusty. It can be quite challenging.”
Four former UGA golfers qualify for weekend
Two-time champion Bubba Watson and Masters rookie Davis Thompson will be joined by Brian Harman and Harris English as Georgia Bulldogs who play the weekend at Augusta National.
Harman (71-71) is the low Dawg, tied for 17th. Watson (71-72) and English (70-73) are tied for 22nd. Thompson shot 71-73 and is tied for 27th.
Missing the cut were Russell Henley, Chris Kirk and Sepp Straka. Henley bounced back from an opening 79 to shoot 68 but missed the cut when he bogeyed the 18th hole. Kirk bogeyed the final two holes to miss the cut.
Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples come up short
Bernhard Langer, 67, and Fred Couples, 65, both came up short of making the cut. Langer, playing his final Masters, missed a short putt on the final hole for a bogey to 74-73, missing the cut by one shot. Couples also bogeyed the final hole to shoot 71-75 and missed by two shots.
Who missed the Masters cut
The 36-hole cut arrived at 2-over 146, meaning 53 of the 95 players in the field will get to play the weekend. There were several big-name players who won’t be competing Saturday and Sunday.
Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters champion, finished 3 over 147 and failed to make the weekend for the second consecutive year and for the third time since his victory. Johnson was on the cutline when he hit his drive on 18 into the trees and had to chip out. His approach landed just off the green, and he took three putts to finish with a 73. In 14 rounds since he set a tournament scoring record in 2020, Johnson has broken par only twice.
Others who didn’t qualify for the weekend included Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith, Keegan Bradley, Tony Finau and Billy Horschel.
Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, other amateurs all miss the cut
None of the five amateurs in the field, including Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, qualified for the weekend, the first time that’s happened since 2022.
Tai qualified for the Masters by winning the 2024 NCAA Championship. He shot 73-76 to finish 6 over. Justin Hastings, the Latin American Amateur champion, was low amateur at 4-over 148 but did not qualify for the final 36 holes.
“I think the last few days have been really cool just to be able to play with a bunch of really good players and learn a lot from them and watch them play,” Tai said. “I feel excited for the rest of the spring.”
Nick Dunlap’s big turnaround
Nick Dunlap did not make the cut but followed Thursday’s 90 with a 1-under 71. The 19-shot improvement fell short of the 21 strokes gained by Craig Wood in 1936 when he shot 88-67 in the first two rounds.
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