AUGUSTA, Ga. — We’re on the daybreak of Transferring Day of The Masters Match, and the 36-hole leaderboard is chock-full of stars, main champions, and family names.
Justin Rose, who fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday, teetered to a 1-under 71 on Friday morning however nonetheless holds the lead at 8-under total. However his three-shot benefit from Thursday has was a slim one. Can the 44-year-old Englishman proceed to sit down atop the well-known white leaderboards throughout Augusta Nationwide? That’s one of many urgent questions of the third spherical.
Reigning U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau fired a 68 on Friday, his second straight spherical within the 60s — the one participant to publish a pair of sub-70 rounds to this point. DeChambeau sits one stroke behind Rose at 7-under and after his second spherical, he summed up his day — and the match to this point — completely:
“What golf is about,” DeChambeau mentioned.
“Very excited for the weekend. Bought plenty of nice names up there, and looking out ahead to an unbelievable take a look at of golf.”
Certainly, this match is what golf is all about. Enjoyable and pleasure, but in addition difficult and intense, all match the billing for the way the Masters has performed out to this point — and we are able to solely hope this continues over the ultimate 36 holes. However contemplating how this leaderboard appears to be like proper now, we are able to solely assume that would be the case.
Sitting one stroke behind DeChambeau is Rory McIlroy, who fired a 6-under 66 on Friday to vault again into the dialogue. McIlroy stayed affected person throughout his second spherical, which helped him make a Second 9 cost and publish the bottom spherical of the day.
“We’ve obtained 36 holes to go on a really, very powerful golf course,” McIlroy mentioned.
“Something can occur. You realize, and all I’m targeted on is attempting to hit a very good tee shot within the fairway on the primary gap tomorrow.
Additionally at 6-under is Canadian Corey Conners, who will be part of McIlroy within the penultimate pairing on Saturday afternoon. The previous Kent State standout has three top-10s at Augusta Nationwide all through his profession, however hopes to do higher than that this weekend.
“By no means prefer to get too far forward of myself, however it could be — it’s an enormous deal to win majors, particularly the Masters Match. In all probability the most important golf match on the earth. Bear in mind the place I used to be watching Mike [Weir] win in 2003,” Conners mentioned.
“And it’s an thrilling alternative, and simply going to try to have enjoyable, and we’ll see what occurs over the weekend.”
After which, in fact, is probably the scariest of all of them: Scottie Scheffler, the perfect participant on the earth and the defending champion, is at 5-under par, trailing Rose by three. However Scheffler didn’t have his greatest stuff with him on Friday, maybe as a result of winds that picked up because the afternoon wore on.
“Golf is a humorous recreation. It’s a day-to-day factor. [On Thursday] I felt actually sharp. [Friday] not as sharp. Might the situations have contributed to that? I’m positive just a little bit,” Scheffler mentioned.
“It was undoubtedly a lot tougher to hit the ball the place you have been trying right this moment, simply because the wind was blowing from all over the place. That’s what’s nice about this golf course is it’s fairly difficult, and also you get winds like that, you’ve actually obtained to handle your expectations, handle your self across the course.”
Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, Irishman Shane Lowry, and Masters rookie Matt McCarty additionally sit at 5-under par, all hoping to win their first Inexperienced Jackets. Hatton and Lowry definitely have the sport to take action, however can they preserve their feelings in test on these difficult inexperienced complexes? Or may McCarty turn out to be the primary debutant to win a Inexperienced Jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979?
Who is aware of. However the one factor we all know is that Saturday can be enjoyable as soon as once more — what golf is all about.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.