The sun shined brightly at Augusta National on Thursday as the 2023 Masters got off to an incredible start. The most anticipated major of the year has a first-round leaderboard full of serious starpower — and fans love to see it.
But the forecast is calling for the weather to change drastically, with thunderstorms expected for the next three days and a high-temperature drop of as much as 30 degrees.
It’s getting wild in Augusta! Here are 5 things to know for Friday’s second round at the Masters.
The leaders
Three players lead the field at seven under par after Thursday’s first round: Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. Two players signed for five-under 67s (Cameron Young and Jason Day) and seven players are four under, including Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott and defending champion Scottie Scheffler.
And while it’s tempting to get excited about ultra-low first rounds, Masters history tells us that winning wire-to-wire is supremely difficult. Only five players have done it: Craig Wood, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd and Jordan Spieth.
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Brooks Koepka’s resurgence
Koepka entered the week with a pretty low profile, despite having four major championships on his resume and a history of good play at Augusta. But as his Netflix Full Swing episode showed, his career has also been complicated by his struggle with injuries, not to mention his defection to LIV.
But Koepka is carrying some positive momentum into this week, with a win at LIV’s Orlando event last week and a proclamation that he’s finally healthy. He’s the top-finishing LIV player through Round 1, with Cameron Smith next on the board at two under (T17).
Will Tiger make the cut?
It took Woods a while to get fired up on Thursday, but he treated onsite patrons (and his fans watching featured-group coverage) to back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16, shining a hopeful light on his cut-making prospects.
Woods finished at two over par — nine shots behind the leaders, and T54 at the conclusion of the first round. Here’s hoping he can shave a few shots off that first-round score on Friday.
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Scottie Scheffler’s defense
Scottie Scheffler is playing like a man with zero weaknesses these days.
The World No. 1 — and defending champion — is also the betting favorite. That’s a heavy load to bear in terms of pressure, but his opening four-under 68 has him firmly in the mix, just three shots off the Koepka-Hovland-Rahm pace.
What about Rory?
Rory McIlroy needs only a Masters win to complete the career grand slam, but he failed to take advantage of what looks to be the friendliest day of the week in terms of scoring.
McIlroy fired an opening round of even par, leaving him plenty of ground to make up. He’s by no means out of it, but has a lot of work to do — starting on Friday.
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