It is easy to feel like you are in some sort of Deep South drama among Augusta’s pristine white buildings and all the swirling heartache, and sure enough, many hopes were gone with the wind by the halfway point of this Masters. Of course, the leading man, Bryson DeChambeau, could not give a damn about the suffering of Rory McIlroy and the rest but this was a love story as well as a horror show.
So the massed congregation that groaned at another McIlroy disappointment swooned for Tiger Woods as he denied the taunts of time to make a record 24th consecutive cut at the Masters after a marathon day of 23 holes. It was a golden grind and the will is still extraordinary.
“I’ve always loved playing here,” said Woods, who talked of Augusta’s mystique and aura and, inevitably, winning, despite being seven behind the clubhouse leaders, DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa. They are six under par after a day when Ludvig Aberg’s 69 was the low round.
That Zach Johnson, the outgoing USA Ryder Cup captain, appeared to tell spectators to “f*** off” after a triple bogey highlighted the problems. Johnson said that was a “laughable” allegation but added the caveat that if he had said anything, which he was not going to deny — “especially if it’s on camera” — he apologised and it was directed at himself. He was not the last of the frazzled.
Scheffler was scrambling and clinging to the leaders late in the day but the turmoil had been terminal for some of golf’s glitterati. From Dustin Johnson’s 13-over-par exit to Viktor Hovland dropping seven shots in five holes, these were some of Augusta’s hardest yards. Poor old Jordan Spieth made a nine and McIlroy never looked comfortable. Needing to hit the ground running, he instead hit it like a falling pine tree, and for all the claims of well-wishers including Woods and Jack Nicklaus, the career grand slam has rarely looked less “inevitable”. He is ten off the lead and the biggest comeback from this point was eight by Jack Burke in 1956. Still, he was in good company in a bad spot with Jon Rahm, one of the most favoured starters, scraping into the weekend.
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All of the 14 men under par are right in the mix and that select group includes the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa. Aberg reached halfway at two under and he was not the only Scandinavian survivor of the mayhem. Much attention had been rightly afforded the new Swede sensation on his Masters debut but he was trumped by Nicolai Hojgaard who was also making his first trip to Augusta National. At only 23, he had got to six under par before reality bit and he dropped two shots on the closing holes.
Also fighting and defying expectations that he might become a one-day wonder after his fine start was Danny Willett. The 2016 champion hung around manfully and received a timely adrenaline shot when he holed out from 95 yards for an eagle on the 8th. It was one of Augusta’s most savage kicks in the teeth when he then made a seven on the last and dropped to one under. He said the sand drifts in the bunker had not helped.
It was a day for staying strong rather than making ground and Homa was another who did that with some aplomb. Buoyed by the fans lining the fairways to lap up a nostalgic treat from his playing partner, Homa set the six-under target after his round of 71. “He doesn’t mishit shots,” Woods said. “He’s got all the talent in the world.”
The American also has a dismal major record but will hope his 10th spot at last year’s Open was a corner turned. A gifted showman and son of an LA acting coach, he once nailed the emotional fallout from a major ordeal when he said his caddie had reflected on another blustery day and claimed that golf would be no fun if it was easy. “I wanted to punch him,” Homa said.
Most eye-catching of all at this Masters, though, has been DeChambeau’s return to the summit. It has been typically enthralling and has come with its own subplot after having a prototype set of irons approved by the US Golf Association only on Monday following a night spent with a smoothing tool.
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At one point yesterday, the LIV Golf man removed a crossroads sign to play a shot, putting it on his shoulder and carrying it away. The cynic might say there was a suitably Biblical aspect to that image given he thinks he is God’s gift but his coach insists DeChambeau is a different beast these days.
Mike Schy told The Times how DeChambeau had been hurt by the derision that followed his old remark about Augusta being a par 67 for him. “I don’t know anybody who loves Augusta more,” he said. “From the moment he stepped foot in the place it was that way. I guarantee he is the only guy in the field who can name every hole.”
The story of DeChambeau’s new irons is a good one. The single-length clubs were made by 3D printing and designed with a “bulge” on the face so that balls fly straighter even if hit with the heel or toe. “We tested them in December and he said, ‘Holy smoke, I want these in the bag now’,” Schy said. “We have been on a tight deadline. The hiccup was the grooves having rough edges on the inside, so we had to fix that with a tool and buffing machine on Sunday. By Monday we were ready to go. I thought he could win the Masters this week.”
The clubs were made by an English ex-pat, Tom Bailey, who had contacted Schy after becoming fascinated by DeChambeau. According to Schy, Bailey started to make his Avoda clubs and reasoned he could probably sell a couple of hundred sets. DeChambeau’s display here has already filled his order book.
“He’s back to a fairways and green mentality rather than not caring if he hits it long and in the rough,” Schy said of his man. “He’s become more of a golfer again.” And if this all sounds typically unusual for a man known for pushing parameters, Schy concluded: “It’s not the first rodeo I’ve been on where I’ve been called crazy.”
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Hovland, Spieth, Justin Rose, Sergio García and Brian Harman were among those missing the cut. Spieth’s exit had looked inevitable all day as he flailed against the wind and a failing game. He used to know his way around here. His 2015 triumph was straddled by two second places, but he cuts an erratic figure these days. One of 27 players who had to return early to finish off their first rounds, he came to the par-5 15th. After a lay-up he flew the water and the green. He then chipped back onto the green. And off it. The ball ended up in the drink. Back he went for the drop, turning the Sarazen Bridge into his own bridge of sighs. A heavy chip was followed by a tentative one, and two putts made for an ugly smear. It matched the misery of his nine from 2017. His round of 80 was his worst at Augusta. And he had barely had time to slam the locker door in anger and he was out again. Love and pain all round.
