A wild Masters Friday sets stage for busy weekend at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Where do we start? Friday at the Masters had everything, and we mean everything. What it didn’t have, however, was a full round of golf for everyone. That’ll be sorted come Saturday morning.

Here’s where we stand: Brooks Koepka — yes, that Brooks Koepka — is the man out in front, firing a five-under 67 on Friday morning to take the solo lead at 12 under at this 87th Masters.

Jon Rahm shared the 18-hole co-lead with Koepka and Viktor Hovland on Thursday, and Rahm is nine under with nine holes remaining in his second round. He started slowly with seven straight pars on Friday but made birdies on 8 and 9.

Rahm is one of 39 players who didn’t finish their second round due to inclement weather. Play was officially suspended for the day at 5:49 p.m. It will resume at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Friday’s weather forecast played out almost exactly how it was predicted. The morning wave was expected to see tame conditions, while rain and wind blew in for the afternoon groupings. Koepka predicted it on Thursday.

“With the weather coming up, I think I might be able to squeak out a few more holes than everybody else before it starts dumping,” he said. “I would say that’s probably the biggest advantage I’ve got going for me right now.”

He wasn’t kidding. Koepka hits 15 greens in regulation on Thursday and 14 more on Friday. He birdied the 2nd and, on the par-5 8th, hit an iron from 250 yards out to 13 feet and made the putt for eagle. He added birdies on both par-5s on the second nine, the 13th and 15th, and finished his day bogey-free.

Koepka reiterated on Thursday that he’s finally healthy. It’s showing. Said Gary Woodland, who played with Koepka on Thursday and Friday: “It was a clinic for 36 holes.”

A chaotic afternoon came after a quiet morning. Dark clouds rolled in at about 1 p.m. — right around the time Tiger Woods teed off. Winds picked up and rain started to fall around 2:30 p.m., when the final threesome was just a couple of holes in.

The first weather suspension was brief — only 21 minutes long — but winds gusted around 20 mph and play was suspended again at 4:22 p.m., just a few minutes after two massive pines fell near the 17th tee box.

It was a terrifying sight, with video showing patrons and officials scrambling to get out of the way. Fortunately, the startling sound of the old trees cracking gave those below enough time to get out of the way. No injuries were reported, and grounds crew workers immediately got to work cutting up and hauling out the two trees, which collapsed on the member’s tee box of the 17th hole, stretching toward the 15th and 16th greens.

“We thought it was a scoreboard or a grandstand,” said Sahith Theegala, who was on the 15th hole at the time the trees fell. “We were hoping it wasn’t something that hit anybody.”

At 5:48 p.m., play was called for the day.

Now we ready for a busy weekend, one the green jackets hope will allow for a Sunday finish.

Rahm will try to continue the momentum he built with back-to-back birdies on 8 and 9. This all came after he failed to gain any ground early on Friday. He missed makeable birdie putts on 2 and 3, and did well to scramble to save par on 6 and 7. Finally he broke his par streak on 8 and added his second birdie of the day on 9. He’ll have a 54-footer for birdie on the 10th hole when play resumes on Saturday.

News

While Rahm still has work to do, amateur Sam Bennett, an unlikely contender, is comfortably in the clubhouse. The 23-year-old fifth-year player at Texas A&M won the 2022 U.S. Amateur to punch his Masters ticket. He shot his second straight 68 and is eight under overall, four back of Koepka and in second place among those who have completed 36 holes. He was even through 7 but had kick-in birdies on 8 and 9. He finished his round with two more birdies on 13 and 14, the latter a 22-footer from behind the hole.

“The hard work’s done. I made the cut as an amateur,” Bennett said. “I kind of made my mark. I played steady golf. Now it’s time for me to go out and enjoy, soak it all in, be able to play the weekend at the Masters. I mean, growing up as a kid, if you would have told me that, I would have said you’re probably crazy.”

Collin Morikawa shot 69-69 and is six under, and so is Viktor Hovland, with eight holes left in his second round. The trio of Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns are all five under through 36 holes, as is Cameron Young, who was nine holes remaining in his second round.

The cut will be finalized on Saturday morning, but right now it’s at two over and means Bryson DeChambeau (four over) and Rory McIlroy (five over) are two of the big names who could be heading home. Woods is two over with seven left to play.

So now we wait for Saturday, where the forecast calls for rain, and lots of it. The field should be spared of storms, but it’s going to be a wet day at Augusta National. Temps will hover around 50 degrees, and the wind will blow around 10-12 mph.

There’s still lots to be sorted. Bring an umbrella.