A birdie on the eighth looked to have steadied the ship, but Spieth then bogeyed the ninth and 10th and was visibly – and audibly – annoyed at being timed for slow play as he wanted to wait for the wind to die down on his approach to the 11th. Spieth would overtake Australia’s Jason Day for world number one with a Masters win if the Aussie finishes outside the top five.
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“We’re through one round”, Spieth said. “It’s nearly a different tournament now”, Spieth said. “After trying to back up yesterday’s wind and today’s conditions, 2-under through 3, with being a little upset about that, considering I didn’t birdie 2, it was still a dream start”. “And I’m trying my best to survive right now”. His caddie kept reminding him that par was a good score in wind like this. Let’s play these holes par in from here on out.
“Dropped a few, but all in all still in the lead”, he said. “Hopefully it’s a third year in a row and a third weekend in a row where I can post a couple of good scores and see where that leaves me at the end of the week”. “I was very disappointed but Adam and Trevor were just laughing at me”, recalled Lee.
“Yeah, it will be a fun round tomorrow”.
And both of them have played well here before.
For Day, yet again, poor play on the back nine hurt him today.
Biggest disappointment: Phil Mickelson was in red figures and very much in contention midway through his round – and then the wheels fell off. Mickelson made double bogeys on Nos.
A four-time major champion, he needs only the Masters to claim the career Grand Slam.
“It would add a lot of excitement and buzz and atmosphere to the tournament, obviously”, McIlroy said.
“A gust from one direction when you think it’s going to be the other can throw a two-footer at this speed nearly out of the hole”, said Spieth, who is widely regarded as the best putter in the game. “I walk off and shoot six over par, but I still love this golf course because it has given me what I deserved today, which is a right kick in the nuts”. Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, holds up his ball after a birdie on the 13th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament Friday, April 8, 2016, in Augusta, Ga.
“Jordan did have a tremendous tournament here past year, tied the record here at 18-under par”.
Scott Piercy also shares 3rd position and only two from Spieth’s lead. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and American Brandt Snedeker were one shot further back.
One notable player with a chance to catch Spieth in the afternoon was Jason Day, who wrested the top spot on the World Rankings from Spieth after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month. Not that I needed any more reason, but just the gallery recognizes you’ve won here and this is a special place to you.
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A wayward tee shot on 18 left him a hard second shot from the pine needles, but a handsome up-and-down from the middle of the fairway left McIlroy pumping his fist with his 10-foot par save.
