World No 1 Scottie Scheffler heads into moving day atop the leaderboard at six-under alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa as Rory McIlroy’s quest for a long-awaited major fell flat during a difficult second round at The Masters.
With winds up, conditions proved extremely difficult at Augusta National on Friday but Scheffler’s disciplined level-par round saw him remain in the hunt for his second green jacket.
DeChambeau had held the overnight lead after a sparkling 65 on Thursday, but a bogey on the last hole saw the LIV Golfer record a one-over-par 73 to match the clubhouse lead set by Max Homa who put together a consummate display of ball-striking en route to a one-under-par 71.
McIlroy’s bid to end a ten-year major drought faltered following his disappointing birdie-less round of 77, while Jon Rahm’s hopes of defending his Masters title are all but over after the Spaniard’s four-over-par round of 76 left him 11 shots back at the halfway stage. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, battled through 23 holes on Friday to make a record-breaking 24th consecutive cut at Augusta.
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Jack Nicklaus says concentration lapses behind Rory McIlroy not winning Masters
Jack Nicklaus criticised Rory McIlroy for a lack of concentration as the 88th Masters belatedly got under way at Augusta National.
Overnight rain and the threat of thunderstorms saw the start of play pushed back from 8am to 1030am, with honorary starters Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson kicking off proceedings 20 minutes earlier by hitting tee shots on the first before retiring to the clubhouse.
The trio then gave a lengthy press conference before Nicklaus joined “Live from the Masters” on the Golf Channel and discussed why McIlroy had yet to win a green jacket to complete a career grand slam.
Luke Baker13 April 2024 13:33
Scottie Scheffler says he will withdraw from The Masters if pregnant wife Meredith goes into labour
Scottie Scheffler shares a lead of The Masters at the halfway stage, but with his wife Meredith only weeks away from giving birth to their first child, has left a clear message that he’ll depart at a moment’s notice if necessary.
Luke Baker13 April 2024 13:19
Nick Faldo believes Rory McIlroy has at least another decade of Masters chances
It may not come together this week but Sir Nick Faldo believes Rory McIlroy has at least another decade of opportunities to win the Masters, despite the scar tissue from his previous attempts.
McIlroy famously squandered a four-shot lead in the final round in 2011 and has recorded six top 10s at Augusta National since victory in the 2014 Open left him needing a green jacket to complete a career grand slam.
The world number two finished second behind Scottie Scheffler in 2022 thanks to a thrilling final round of 64 and is second favourite behind the same player this week after finishing third in the Texas Open on Sunday.
Luke Baker13 April 2024 13:07
Jon Rahm speaking to Sky Sports
Rahm said: “It is a very difficult set-up. It would have been very difficult anyway without the win but that just adds a whole level to it. You have to play really good golf on get lucky with the gusts.
“It was a bad day for me not to have it. I was fighting my swing all day. But at the end of the day, I have made the cut and have two rounds to make up 12 shots. I feel it has been done before – if the conditions aren’t too easy tomorrow, maybe I can make a push for the win.”
Luke Baker13 April 2024 12:52
Masters tee times for round three
Here are some selected Masters tee times for round three:
(All times BST – golfers USA unless stated)
First group – 1435: Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
1525: Jon Rahm (Esp), Grayson Murray
1555: Camilo Villegas (Col),…
This article was originally published by a www.independent.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .