The Sun is shining on the Masters, and the greens are baked. The ball is rolling in all directions, not necessarily towards the tucked pins of Augusta’s diabolical greens. By the end of Sunday, another glorious chapter will be written, and a champion crowned.
Once again, Augusta National promises to become the crucible for golf’s relentless drama.
Rory McIlroy poured life into it after overcoming a bleak start on Thursday. Drawing from the joyous well of parenting, McIlroy found calm later that evening while putting his daughter, Poppy, to bed. He returned to the course, fired and focused.
A remarkable 66, built on the foundation of a scrambled birdie at the second, set the 89th Masters on fire. McIlroy, chasing the elusive career Grand Slam for over a decade, found himself at a crossroads after Thursday’s opening round. Double bogeys on holes 15 and 17 had left him even par, seven shots adrift, his dreams teetering like a leaf in Augusta’s unforgiving winds.
But Friday was a revelation.
McIlroy carded a bogey-free 66, highlighted by six birdies, including an eagle on the 13th, where his long iron from pine straw found salvation on the green. McIlroy’s journey at Augusta has always been tinged with trauma. The Green Jacket is all he needs to complete his collection of majors. Yet, it remains his most elusive prize. Perhaps it’s the weight of expectations that has kept him from adding to his four majors -- the last one came in 2014.
Despite dominating Europe and enjoying great success on the PGA Tour, McIlroy covets history, and the road to it passes through Augusta. Psychologist Bob Rotella was at hand on Friday. “Be patient,” was the advice to McIlroy. Standing underneath a tall pine to the right of the second fairway, McIlroy mustered all the patience he needed. From an awkward lie in the pine straw, he not only escaped but also extracted a brilliant birdie. It sparked a stunning turnaround, one which gained him 6.67 strokes over the field, hurling him upwards on Friday.
Since debuting at the Masters in 2009, McIlroy has experienced nearly every emotion Augusta can offer — except the joy of donning the Green Jacket. His pursuit of the title has been defined by near-misses and heartbreaks, most famously in 2011, when he led by four strokes heading into the final round but collapsed with an 8-over 80 to finish tied for 15th. Sixteen years later, McIlroy continues to nurse the wounds. He came very close in 2022, thrilling patrons with a dramatic hole-out from the sand on 18, only to finish second to Scottie Scheffler. Some of the wounds might finally heal this year.
Justin Rose entered the tournament as a 1000-to-1 long shot. But after an imposing 65 in the opening round and a steady 71 on Friday, his odds have shortened to 15-to-2. Nearly a dozen years after winning his first and only major title, he is in contention for another. Though he was runner-up at the Masters in 2015 and 2017, a top-ten in 2021 is the closest he’s come to a Green Jacket in recent times.
At 44, Rose looks poised for a remarkable renaissance -- if the wind blows in his favour. His ability to navigate swirling winds showed why he remains one of golf ’s most cerebral players. As Sunday dawns, he carries with him not just experience but an air of possibility.
As the winds howled, Scottie Scheffler’s typically unerring swing faltered, yielding five bogeys, including a wayward tee shot on the 18th that tangled with magnolias. The world No.1 wound his way inside the dense growth, searching for an escape after his ball nestled underneath the branches.
Yet he showed why he is the most unflappable golfer in the game to remain firmly in contention.
“It’s really tough out there with the conditions— extremely challenging when you get greens this fast, you get that much wind,” he said.
“But I did a good job of making some key up and downs. I felt like I did some good things out there to stay in the tournament.” Bryson DeChambeau has long been known for his scientific approach to golf — calculating angles and distances with almost obsessive precision. On Friday, however, it was his artistry with the putter that stole the show.
Leading the field in driving distance by 15 yards, DeChambeau paired raw power with surgical precision on Augusta’s greens. McIlroy’s quest for the career slam, Rose’s chase for history, Scheffler’s bid for a third title, DeChambeau’s redemption -- Augusta’s weekend promises to be a spectacle.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
Once again, Augusta National promises to become the crucible for golf’s relentless drama.
Rory McIlroy poured life into it after overcoming a bleak start on Thursday. Drawing from the joyous well of parenting, McIlroy found calm later that evening while putting his daughter, Poppy, to bed. He returned to the course, fired and focused.
A remarkable 66, built on the foundation of a scrambled birdie at the second, set the 89th Masters on fire. McIlroy, chasing the elusive career Grand Slam for over a decade, found himself at a crossroads after Thursday’s opening round. Double bogeys on holes 15 and 17 had left him even par, seven shots adrift, his dreams teetering like a leaf in Augusta’s unforgiving winds.
But Friday was a revelation.
McIlroy carded a bogey-free 66, highlighted by six birdies, including an eagle on the 13th, where his long iron from pine straw found salvation on the green. McIlroy’s journey at Augusta has always been tinged with trauma. The Green Jacket is all he needs to complete his collection of majors. Yet, it remains his most elusive prize. Perhaps it’s the weight of expectations that has kept him from adding to his four majors -- the last one came in 2014.
Despite dominating Europe and enjoying great success on the PGA Tour, McIlroy covets history, and the road to it passes through Augusta. Psychologist Bob Rotella was at hand on Friday. “Be patient,” was the advice to McIlroy. Standing underneath a tall pine to the right of the second fairway, McIlroy mustered all the patience he needed. From an awkward lie in the pine straw, he not only escaped but also extracted a brilliant birdie. It sparked a stunning turnaround, one which gained him 6.67 strokes over the field, hurling him upwards on Friday.
Since debuting at the Masters in 2009, McIlroy has experienced nearly every emotion Augusta can offer — except the joy of donning the Green Jacket. His pursuit of the title has been defined by near-misses and heartbreaks, most famously in 2011, when he led by four strokes heading into the final round but collapsed with an 8-over 80 to finish tied for 15th. Sixteen years later, McIlroy continues to nurse the wounds. He came very close in 2022, thrilling patrons with a dramatic hole-out from the sand on 18, only to finish second to Scottie Scheffler. Some of the wounds might finally heal this year.
Justin Rose entered the tournament as a 1000-to-1 long shot. But after an imposing 65 in the opening round and a steady 71 on Friday, his odds have shortened to 15-to-2. Nearly a dozen years after winning his first and only major title, he is in contention for another. Though he was runner-up at the Masters in 2015 and 2017, a top-ten in 2021 is the closest he’s come to a Green Jacket in recent times.
At 44, Rose looks poised for a remarkable renaissance -- if the wind blows in his favour. His ability to navigate swirling winds showed why he remains one of golf ’s most cerebral players. As Sunday dawns, he carries with him not just experience but an air of possibility.
As the winds howled, Scottie Scheffler’s typically unerring swing faltered, yielding five bogeys, including a wayward tee shot on the 18th that tangled with magnolias. The world No.1 wound his way inside the dense growth, searching for an escape after his ball nestled underneath the branches.
Yet he showed why he is the most unflappable golfer in the game to remain firmly in contention.
“It’s really tough out there with the conditions— extremely challenging when you get greens this fast, you get that much wind,” he said.
“But I did a good job of making some key up and downs. I felt like I did some good things out there to stay in the tournament.” Bryson DeChambeau has long been known for his scientific approach to golf — calculating angles and distances with almost obsessive precision. On Friday, however, it was his artistry with the putter that stole the show.
Leading the field in driving distance by 15 yards, DeChambeau paired raw power with surgical precision on Augusta’s greens. McIlroy’s quest for the career slam, Rose’s chase for history, Scheffler’s bid for a third title, DeChambeau’s redemption -- Augusta’s weekend promises to be a spectacle.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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