Masters: Scheffler builds 5-shot lead as Tiger makes weekend

Scottie Scheffler strolled off Augusta Nationwide with each palms in his pockets as if he had simply completed an off-the-cuff spherical at residence within the late afternoon.

The Masters was something however that Friday.

The wind roaring via the Georgia pines gave Tiger Woods and so many others all they may deal with, a relentless combat from tee to inexperienced. After which Scheffler made it really feel even more durable.

His 5-under 67 matched the low rating of the day and gave him a five-shot lead, tying a Masters file after 36 holes. The final 4 gamers who led by 5 photographs going into the weekend went on to win. The lone exception was Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper in 1936.

That introduced little greater than a shrug from the No. 1 participant on this planet.

“I believe I am nonetheless enjoying towards the golf course on the market,” Scheffler mentioned. “And there is a bunch of different guys in he discipline. So I can not be paying an excessive amount of consideration to them both manner.”

Scheffler is thrashing all of them, together with an more and more troublesome Augusta Nationwide.

“You reside on a knife’s edge each gap, actually,” mentioned Adam Scott, who performed in Scheffler’s group. “And I used to be enjoying with a man who made it look simple. However that is how he is enjoying for the time being.”

In his debut as the brand new No. 1 participant on this planet, Scheffler regarded the half. He was bogey-free over the ultimate 15 holes, performed sensible from the fairways and trusted each shot he confronted even because the wind was as robust because it was fickle.

Scheffler, the 25-year-old Texas Longhorn, has gained three of his final 5 begins on the PGA Tour and would not seem like overwhelmed by the stage of Augusta Nationwide.

“I put myself in place, the place I am in place to win this golf event. I could not ask for something extra after 36 holes,” Scheffler mentioned. “My sport feels prefer it’s in a great spot. I’ve simply acquired to maintain doing what I am doing and never overthink issues.”

He was at 8-under 136, 5 photographs away from defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (69), former champion Charl Schwartzel (69), former British Open champion Shane Lowry (68) and 18-hole chief Sungjae Im (74).

Woods was 9 photographs behind, a frightening process even on two good legs.

Regardless of 4 bogeys after 5 holes, Woods patched collectively a 74 and made it to the weekend in his first 72-hole occasion for the reason that November 2020 Masters.

“Hey, I made the reduce. I acquired an opportunity going into the weekend,” Woods mentioned. “I believe it’ll be the golf course that Augusta Nationwide needs. It’ll be faster, drier, sooner. It’ll be a fantastic check.”

Former Masters champion Dustin Johnson (73) led a bunch at 2-under 142, whereas the bunch one other shot behind included two-time main champion Collin Morikawa and former PGA champion Justin Thomas, whose 67 matched Scheffler for better of the day.

Two hours after the beginning of a wonderful and calm spring day in Augusta, the wind arrived with a blast and gamers held on for expensive life. Scheffler might see sand blow out of the bunkers. Flags have been ripping. Scores have been hovering.

“Felt like I went 10 rounds with Canelo,” Sergio Garcia mentioned of champion fighter Canelo Alvarez. That was after a hard-earned 74.

Spieth hit two into Rae’s Creek and took triple bogey on the par-3 twelfth. A minimum of this was on a Friday, although he wound up lacking the reduce when he made double bogey on the 18th.

Scott was attempting to remain within the combine till he had a wedge spin again into the water on the par-5 fifteenth, hit the subsequent over the inexperienced and took triple bogey.

Scheffler had no such troubles, even when it did not really feel that manner.

“I positively really feel like I used to be in a combat at this time,” he mentioned. “I assume the one factor I’d say to that’s perhaps I simply carried out a little bit bit higher.”

Scheffler acquired his errors out of he manner early and commenced to grab management with two birdies proper earlier than making the flip. After a troublesome par save from proper of the eleventh inexperienced, he added two birdies from 12 ft on the par-3 twelfth and a troublesome pitch from properly proper on the par-5 thirteenth.

By then, the wind started to subside within the late afternoon and Scheffler started to drag away with two extra birdies that made him a transparent and troublesome goal on the weekend.

And to suppose solely two months in the past he nonetheless did not have a PGA Tour victory.

Woods made it via one other hike alongside the undulating terrain of Augusta Nationwide, his limp extra noticeable from a proper leg held along with rods and screws from his automotive crash 14 months in the past.

“I do not really feel nearly as good as I want to really feel,” Woods mentioned with a smile. “That is OK. As I mentioned, I’ve acquired an opportunity going into the weekend. Hopefully, I am going to have a kind of gentle bulb moments and switch it on within the weekend and get it executed.”

His putter wasn’t serving to any. All the important thing putts Woods made within the opening spherical weren’t falling Friday as he piled up 4 bogeys in his opening 5 holes, elevating questions if his unbelievable return to the Masters would solely final two days.

And now he has two extra.

Coming off consecutive bogeys firstly of Amen Nook, he was headed for extra bother on the par-5 thirteenth besides that he missed badly sufficient to remain on proper aspect of the tributary of Rae’s Creek, establishing a pitch-and-putt for birdie.

“It was robust for everyone,” Woods mentioned, and earlier than lengthy got here a wry smile. “Clearly, there’s a couple of individuals who aren’t struggling on the market.”

A kind of could be Scheffler, who has everybody’s consideration.

One other was Thomas, with whom Woods performed his observe rounds final week and within the days main as much as the Masters. He opened with a 76 and spent the remainder of the day sulking at what appeared to be a misplaced alternative.

He capped off his 67 with three straight birdies alongside the again 9.

“I very simply may very well be going residence proper now, and never solely am I not, however I am in a very great place going into this weekend,” Thomas mentioned.

He was seven behind, nonetheless, although he wasn’t in the least stunned Scheffler was in a position to put up such good rounds to construct a giant lead.

“If I performed how I ought to yesterday, I needs to be proper there with him,” Thomas mentioned. “This place, I find it irresistible as a result of you may make so many birdies — even in situations like this, in case you plot your manner round and know easy methods to get it round, you may make a variety of birdies. It exposes you when it will get this windy if you do not have management of your ball.

“He clearly has management of every little thing proper now based mostly off the final couple of months, so I am not too stunned,” he added. “However yeah, I’d respect it if he would cease going too far-off.”