After nine months of anticipation, the ceremonial first tee shots were struck and the 2020 Masters finally got underway on Thursday morning … for less than a half hour. Then, inclement weather forced a suspension of play for an agonizing three hours.
Luckily for golf fans everywhere, the weather improved, and players once again took to the course. While not everyone completed the first round on Thursday, the forecast looks good for the next three days, so the tournament should still finish on schedule on Sunday.
Here are five things you need to know for Friday’s second round at Augusta.
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1. The scoring is super low so far
Well over half of the 92 players in this year’s Masters field were under par when darkness fell on Thursday, led by Paul Casey’s sizzling round of 7-under 65. Casey is clearly comfortable at Augusta, with three top-6 finishes since 2015. But he’ll have plenty of competition for the top spot on the leaderboard in the coming days, as a soft course with not much wind to contend with should continue to yield red numbers.
2. Tiger is in the mix!
Though few observers were particularly bullish about Tiger Woods’ chances of defending his Masters title, especially given his recent form, the Big Cat got off to a stellar start on Thursday, turning in a bogey-free scorecard that featured four birdies for an opening round of 4-under 68, tying his career-low first-round score at the Masters.
3. Bryson displayed some grit
The hype for long-bombing Bryson DeChambeau’s performance this week was off the charts, and maybe the enormity of the moment got to him a bit, because he got off a pretty shaky start with the driver, capped by a disastrous double-bogey on the gettable par-5 13th.
But despite being 2-over after his first four holes, DeChambeau fought back with five birdies and one bogey on his remaining holes to sign for a 2-under 70 — which leaves him very much in the hunt at only five shots behind Casey’s lead.
4. The “old” guys are off to a good start
PGA Tour Champions players don’t often feature near the top of the leaderboard at most major championships, but at Augusta, experience matters, and former champs Larry Mize (age 62) and Mike Weir (age 50) are proof. Mize, winner of the 1987 Masters, carded six birdies and four bogeys to sign for a round of 2-under 70, while Weir, the 2003 Masters champ, fired a 1-under 71.
5. Could we witness the lowest round ever shot at the Masters?
The lowest round ever shot at the Masters is 9-under 63 — a number achieved by both Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996). Paul Casey managed a 65 on Thursday with five birdies and an eagle. It isn’t unthinkable that, given the soft conditions and benign forecast over the next several days, someone could match or even beat that historic number.
Regardless of how low the players go, there’s another full day of glorious golf at Augusta National to take in, and that alone makes Friday’s action worth watching.