AUGUSTA, Ga.—The end of a long Friday that reshaped the Masters had Scottie Scheffler sitting in the pine straw under a magnolia tree left of the 18th fairway, waiting for a rules official but looking very much like someone who simply needed to catch his breath.
Rest up for a weekend at Augusta National that doesn’t figure to lack for drama.
It starts with Justin Rose, who did just enough in his round of 1-under 71 to be the 36-hole leader for the third time in his career as the 44-year-old from England tries to become the second-oldest Masters champion behind Jack Nicklaus (46).
The leading role returns to Rory McIlroy, who came to life with a birdie-birdie-par-eagle start to the back nine. Maybe that’s where his Masters started, because he roared into contention with a bogey-free 66 that renewed hopes of a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam.
U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau might have learned to putt the Augusta National greens, a scary proposition for someone who already knows how to bash the golf ball. He shot 68 and was a shot behind Rose in his best start ever at the Masters.
And Scheffler?
The defending Masters champion did his best to survive the worst of the conditions, mainly wind that caused a little discomfort and a lot of uncertainty. He made five bogeys over his last 12 holes, the last one by going from under the magnolia, back to the fairway, over the green and then hitting a superb chip to limit the damage.
All that and he was only three behind after a 71.
“We’ve got a great golf course, conditions should be really good, challenging, and we’ve got some great guys on top of the leaderboard,” Scheffler said. “So it should be a fun weekend.”
Indeed.
Sixteen players were separated by five shots at the halfway point, nine of them major champions, three of them with experience winning at Augusta National.
“The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there,” Rose said after a round that featured birdies on the par 5s on the front nine and on the par 3s on the back nine.
Rose took a three-shot lead into the second round and had the advantage of playing early, before the wind became strong enough to make flags snap and create just enough indecision. He hit a 9-iron over Rae’s Creek to 4 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th, and he stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 16th for another birdie. That allowed him to atone for a few mistakes.
He was at 8-under 136, the third time he has had the 36-hole lead at the Masters.
The buzz came from behind him.
DeChambeau picked up an unlikely birdie by holing a bunker shot on the par-3 fourth hole on his way to a 32 on the front nine that kept him on Rose’s heels the rest of the way.
“This is what golf is about,” DeChambeau said. “Got a lot of great names up there, and looking forward to an unbelievable test of golf.”
And then there was McIlroy, who had two double bogeys over the last four holes Thursday, the latest frustrating chapter for him at the Masters. This time, he managed to forget about it and move on. He went birdie-birdie-par-eagle to start the back nine and was on his way to a bogey-free 66.
“I had to remind myself I was playing well,” McIlroy said. “I couldn’t let two bad holes dictate the narrative of the 16 good ones. I also had to remind myself this morning not to push too hard too early.”
Corey Conners of Canada quietly put together a 70 and joined McIlroy at 6-under 138.
The group three shots back included Scheffler (71), former British Open champion Shane Lowry (68) and Tyrrell Hatton, who got within one shot of Rose until a pair of three-putts. One of them did a U-turn down the hill at the 16th. The other was a sleepy tap-in that lipped out.
It shapes up for a wide-open weekend, led by a 44-year-old from England who has gone a dozen years since winning his only major at the 2013 U.S. Open. Rose spoke last year about finding another stretch of magic in his career, and opportunity awaits.
“This is nice to be back in that mix.”
McIlroy was thrilled, too. There was plenty of temptation to come out firing, but that’s what he did in 2023 when he played Friday afternoon and saw he faced a 10-shot deficit. He tried to charge and wound up charging right out of the parking lot after missing the cut.
This time, he played the front nine with one birdie and eight pars. But he came to life quickly, stuffing a three-quarter 8-iron to a foot on No. 10 and a similar play with a 9-iron to about 4 feet on No. 11. Best of all was hitting 4-iron off the pine straw on the par-5 13th that narrowly cleared the tributary of Rae’s Creek and set up a 10-foot eagle.
“Things sort of clicked into gear on the back nine,” McIlroy said.
Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton faced the worst of the wind. Scheffler’s tee shot on the par-3 12th sailed into the azaleas over the green, bounced out and he chipped in for birdie. He played with limited stress one day, and it felt like chaos the next.
“Golf is a funny game. It’s a day-to-day thing. Yesterday I felt really sharp. Today not as sharp,” Scheffler said. “Could the conditions have contributed to that? I’m sure a little bit. It was definitely much harder to hit the ball where you were looking today just because the wind was blowing from everywhere.”
The cut was at 2-over 146, marking the end of 67-year-old Bernhard Langer’s career at the Masters. He needed to make a 10-foot par putt on the last hole, only for it to tickle the right side of the cup.
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka might have had the most shocking departure. He was in good shape, needing a bogey on the 18th. He made a quadruple bogey, starting with a tee shot into the trees and ending with a three-putt from 10 feet.
Now the attentions shifts back to the top.
“You’re going to have to play great golf, and you’re going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it,” Rose said. “It’s as simple as that, really.”
