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Presidents Cup: Weir vs Furyk

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MONTREAL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – There are different kinds of pressure on the two captains at this year’s Presidents Cup, whether they let on about it or not.

Jim Furyk’s job is to extend the U.S. team’s dominance in the event to 10 straight victories. Mike Weir is captaining the International squad at Royal Montreal in his native Canada, with three Canadians playing on the team.

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On Tuesday, two days before the competition begins, Furyk and Weir sat side by side at their joint press conference.

“Jim knows how close it’s been the last few years. It’s a tight, intense competition,” Weir said. “Yeah, the score the last bunch of years has gone the U.S.’ way, but they’ve been very competitive matches. … I think it’s heading the right direction no matter what happens. Sure, it’s competitive. We want to win. We’re not putting any of that extra, ‘We need to do this to elevate the event.’

“It’s just a great competition, and we’re not adding any layers on top of that.”

Weir is the first Canadian to captain the International team, and it comes at a fitting venue, Royal Montreal, which hosted the Presidents Cup in 2007. Weir played in that event and led his team with 3 1/2 points, but the Americans won 19 1/2-14 1/2.

Weir said he’s yet to talk with the three Canadian players on his team — Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith — about what to expect, but that’s not to say that he won’t.

“This is at home in front of your own fans,” Weir said. “I guess for me I used the energy in a positive way when I was here in 2007. I didn’t take it as pressure. I took it as, ‘Just embrace it.’ I don’t know if I’ll ever have this kind of chance again to play in front of my home country fans. So I just tried to embrace it. That will probably be most of the message is enjoy yourself.”

An International win would be just the second since the event began in 1994, and it could re-energize a one-sided event that’s not nearly as popular as the Ryder Cup.

But Furyk was posed with that idea by an American reporter last week and responded with multiple profanities, explaining how important winning is to any competitor.

“I would say it’s just an extremely emotional week as far as there’s ups, there’s downs,” Furyk added Tuesday. “The U.S. Team gets on a run, then the International Team gets on a run. It’s kind of a roller coaster ride all week. These guys expend a ton of energy. … A lot of it’s probably just letting (players) know how much — it’s a marathon. It’s a week long, and make sure that you save some energy for the end and pace yourself on the way.”

Furyk may have something to prove for himself, too. He was the U.S. captain at the 2018 Ryder Cup, where Team Europe steamrolled the Americans in Paris for a seven-point win.

He said he believes the U.S. team plays “a little bit more loose, we play a little more free” at Presidents Cups.

“So I’ll make some different changes,” Furyk said. “I’ll run this team a little different. I’ll draw from some good experiences that we’ve had in the past.

“The biggest question I always get asked from ‘18 is would you — if you had the chance to go back and do something differently, would you? First time I heard the question, I started laughing. My answer was very simple. How arrogant would you have to be to say, ‘Nope, we didn’t win, but I wouldn’t do anything different at all’? Of course I would. I’d go back and change it.”

–Field Level Media

Scheffler Cares; Gets the Gold

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PARIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – There were far too many Olympic and sports pundits who threw shade on multi-millionaires who wouldn’t have the motivation to play for a medal of golf, silver or bronze when they can earn upwards of $18,000,000 for a single FedEx Cup title or $300,000,000 for signing on the dotted line with LIV Golf. It’s just a wild guess, they didn’t stick around for the Medal Ceremony on Golf Channel to see tears of emotion streaming on Scottie Scheffler’s face.

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Scheffler, an American golfer of the highest regard, won the gold medal at the Men’s Olympic Golf competition on Sunday with a final score of 19 under par at Le Golf National, south of the city of Paris.

He turned in a final-round 62, which included six birdies on the back nine. He closed with birdies on holes 15 through 18.

The World No. 1 finished one shot ahead of Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood (66), who took silver at 18 under. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (65) was two shots back to claim the bronze medal, improving on his tie for fourth place on home soil in Tokyo three years ago.

For Scheffler, this is his seventh victory of 2024. His wins include The Players Championship and the Masters Tournament.

–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Olympic ⛳️

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

FROM the LYONS’ DEN in BOSTON – It’s time to “tee-up” a patented TL timeline of a column. It works when there’s any Olympic golf tournament, staged in Paris, France, and the time zone change brings live golf into your quiet, basement TV at three in the morning – a little like Ryder Cup times.

You know the rules. (There’s none).

Here we go:

August 1, 2024

4:11am – After my iPhone alarm had been moved to snooze twice since its 3:00am setting, a large cup of coffee – let’s call it Cafe au lait for the occasion – was made with the care of a Parisian shoppe owner while doing everything humanly possible to not awake our two wonderful canines.

As one would expect, the early bird – that’s the lève tôt pour moi – was rewarded with the 4:11am ET/10:11am (local) tee time threesome – trio – of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the USA, Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg being introduced to the crowds of Le Golf National, located at Saint Quentin en Yvelines, to the west/southwest of Paris.

To set the scene properly, it’s important to note, the starter at Le Golf National could easily double as the cropier at the Casino de Monte-Carlo’s Baccarat table. You might remember the scene from the 2018 Ryder Cup (17 1⁄2 – to – 10 1⁄2 win by Europe), as the Albatros Course looked and played in near perfect condition.

5:00am – There’s a few general thoughts running through your columnist’s mind. They’ll be addressed now, and presented in stream of consciousness mode.

Golf returned to the Olympic Games in 2016 (Rio) and is being contested for only the fifth time in the modern Olympics. The sport was first played in the Olympics in 1900, as the 1896 modern Olympics in Greece did not have a suitable golf course to play. In 1900, at the Compiègne Club in France, both men and woman competed in the sport. Only four nations were represented (France, Great Britain, the United States and Greece).

Charles Sands, a representative of the St. Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York finished the 36 hole tournament, shooting (82)+(85) for (167), defeating Walter Rutherford of Jedburgh, Scotland (Great Britain) by one stroke. In the women’s competition, Margaret Abbott of Chicago Golf Club. Abbott (born in Calcutta) shot a (47) to win and became the first ever American female to medal in the Olympic Games. The bad news was that she received a gilded porcelein bowl as a trophy, rather than a gold medal. The incredible news, Abbott’s mother finished seventh.

St. Louis was celebrating the World’s Fair in 1904 and hosted a two country (USA and Canada) golf tournament at the Glen Echo course in St. Louis. A 20-year-old American, H. Chandler Egan, a Harvard student and the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was the heavy favorite to claim the gold medal in match play format. Egan met Canadian George Lyon in the 36-hole final but lost 3 and 2 in difficult conditions.

Golf was not included in the Olympic Games for 112 years after St. Louis. Fast forward 90 years to October 9, 2009, in Copenhagen when the 121st IOC session determined golf would be reinstated to the Summer Olympics and for plaqnning purposes, the sport returned in grand form at the 2016 Games at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Interestingly, the USOC’s Bob Condron was named venue chief – a very smart move for the brand new course constructed for the event.

Britain’s Justin Rose and Korea’s Inbee Park took the gold medals in Rio.

Of course, the global pandemic wreaked havoc but golf returned in 2021 at the Tokyo Games when Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda, both representing the United States of America, won the men’s and women’s events. They remain defending champions until medals are awarded this week.

Keep in mind, unlike the usual PGA Tour, DP World Golf or LIV Golf event when some 50-70+ players will have a slice of the sizable purse, this week, only three players in both the men’s and women’s events are recognized as winners. In other words, you get the same prize for fourth as you do for 60th – “nuthin.”

5:55am – The featured group of defending champion Schauffele – winner of two of ‘24’s four majors in the PGA Championship and the recent Open Championship – was placed with Spain’s Jon Rahm who won his first LIV Golf title only a week ago, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland, the reigning FedEx Cup Champion and winner of a cool $18 million for his efforts, joined the party.

Remember, for their entire PGA Tour careers, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, winners of 25 majors and 135 tour titles, earned a combined $7,595,888. (US).

6:06am – France’s Mathieu Pavon teed-off as the hometown hero but he was overshadowed a bit by his playing partners, Collin Morikawa of the USA and MattFitzpatrick of England.

6:15am – Two – yes, count ‘em, two dogs woke up and sought me out in our home basement and both were happy to cuddle-up and return to sleep for a while. Both Penny (Lane), our 3.5 year old Irish Golden Doodle (heavy on the Golden Retriever and Poodle side) and (Mighty) Max of Silver Hammer fame, our 1-year old english Springer Doodle, of the happiest, mellowist, craziest dog of all-time fame, remained silent, observing golf’s most important rule – “No Barking” at 6:15am.

A second wind cup of (Dunkin Donuts – original) coffee was brewed and poured into an Ember ceramic mug. BTW, the Ember Cup might be the greatest invention of the century, and I applaud (sis-in-law) for her generous Christmas gift. The glowing blue light, turned white hot, somehow keeps the coffee at its perfect temperature which can be set to the desired degree (120-145 degree Fahrenheit and that’s 48.9-62.8º degrees in Celsius – for all my many subscribers spread across the globe or those covering the golf tournament in the outskirts of Paris.

Speaking of which, please don’t categorize this as a rant. It’s a sincere wish.

HOW in the WORLD can an Olympic Golf tournament be staged without a one-day team match play event for gold, silver and bronze medals? Each country to qualify would pick two players to compete in a bracket-type, Match Play tournament, not unlike the WGC tournament which used to be on the PGA schedule. It would add a lot to the golf experience at the Olympics, and maybe add two days for the players to remain on the road. … Mixed doubles would be great too. (Four Ball).

It’s “on” to the rest of the morning:

6:30am – The “regular” alarm clocks ring. Thursday, August 1, 2024 is now, officially beginning in this Boston household.

6:39am – The final threesome of the day – Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay, Joel Girrbachof Switzerland, and Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland – are the first tee. Meanwhile, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama became the clubhouse leader for the first round by shooting an (8-under) (63), three strokes ahead of a group of two players at (-6) and four players (and growing) at (minus 5).

By days end, Hideki Matsuyama, the Japan native and popular PGA Tour player, carded a bogey-free, 8-under (63) to top the 60-athlete, first-round leaderboard on a sultry day in the outskirts of Paris. Round 1 was victim to two weather delays.

August 2, 2024

The second round saw American Xander Schauffele card a 36-hole total of (131), tying the low 36-hole Olympic mark that he recorded at the 2020 in ‘21) Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan closed with a double-bogey (6) for a 3-under (68) in his Friday play, but he leads the field with 15 birdies through the opening two rounds.

Fatigue was kicking in on the second day of the 4:00am (ET) wake-up, never mind the third day.

August 3, 2024

Spain’s Jon Rahm posted his second consecutive (66) and he hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation. Rahm leads the field in Greens in Regulation (87.04%) and Driving Accuracy (80.95%) through three rounds.

Schauffele’s third round score (68) marked his second consecutive Olympics when he, at least, had a share of the 54-hole lead. Not bad. Schauffele can become the first back-to-back medalist in the men’s Olympic golf history.

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of Great Britain withdrew from the Olympic men’s golf competition after he shot an (81) in the third round. He was nursing a thumb injury.

That leads us to the posting of WWYI (Saturday night at 10:00am ET) and the start of the final round of the tournament, beginning at 3:00am but highlighted when the leaders tee-it-up at 6:39am ET). So, if you’re reading this Saturday night, you know the deal.

If you’re reading it on Sunday morning, turn on the Golf Channel.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Buzzword Bingo for NBC’s coverage of the Men’s Olympic basketball tournament. Here’s a Top 10.

  1. International basketball is catching up. (psst, that happened at least 24 years ago).
  2. They check their ego at the door. (psst, there’s no ego check closet).
  3. The level of talent, is incredible. Twelve alpha-dogs.
  4. The USA hasn’t had all that much time to prepare.
  5. They have to play the right way.
  6. They’re playing for one another.
  7. This is bigger than me, individually.
  8. Take care of the basketball and defend the way you can.
  9. You’ve got guys that are willing to sacrifice.
  10. The coaching staff has done an amazing job. (a comment that can go 180-degrees if there’s an upset in the next round when it’s “On to Bercy”

RIP: There’s been far too many Rest in Peace notifications in this missive, but it’s a must to convey sincere condolences to the wife, Taryn Faith, and three daughters of Andy Jasner, a Philadelphia-based writer/reporter known to many of us through his late father, Phil Jasner, who wrote for the Philadelphia Daily News.

One minute Andy, 55, was filing a story on the Philadelphia Phillies, the next, he was gone, a victim of a massive heart attack which shook our world on Friday, August 2. The news spread quickly on Friday afternoon and the weekend. “I am simply speechless over this tragedy,” wrote one WWYI subscriber who emailed this morning.

NOTE: Sign Up for the COMPLETE Sunday Sports Notebook, sent every Saturday at 10:00pm ET to give you that Bulldog Edition kind of feel.

X-Man Marks the Major Spot

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TROON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – American Xander Schauffele shot a sterling 65 at Royal Troon to emerge from the pack and win the 152nd Open Championship for his second major title of the year Sunday at Royal Troon in Scotland.

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Schauffele saved his best golf of the week for last, as he rode a bogey-free round to a final score of 9-under-par 275 and a two-shot victory over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. The 30-year-old Schauffele, who captured his first career major at the PGA Championship in May, is the first player since Brooks Koepka (2018) to win multiple majors in a calendar year.

Schauffele’s win completed the first American sweep of the four majors since 1982. Scottie Scheffler won the Masters and Bryson DeChambeau took home the U.S. Open.

Schauffele was one of six players who began the day one shot behind 54-hole leader Horschel. He surged into the lead down the home stretch, making four of his six birdies on the back nine.

Playing in the final pairing with Horschel, Thriston Lawrence of South Africa grabbed a one-stroke lead at the turn by making his fourth birdie of the day at the par-4 ninth.

The lead flipped after Lawrence badly missed the green at No. 12. He failed to save par, and just up ahead, Schauffele played No. 13 perfectly, rolling in a left-to-right birdie putt from 16 feet.

Schauffele proceeded to knock his tee shot at the par-4 13th to 12 1/2 feet and convert another birdie to double his advantage. At the par-5 16th, he played a delicate pitch shot over a greenside pot bunker that teased the cup before leaving him a 4-foot birdie putt.

Rose missed some chances to keep up with Schauffele, his playing partner. He settled for a 67 after birdieing two of the final three holes. Upon sinking a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 18, the Englishman saluted the crowd after his second runner-up finish at The Open.

–Field Level Media

Horschel Leads, Lowry Stumbles at Open

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TROON – American Billy Horschel battled rainy Royal Troon and came away with a 2-under-par 69 and the 54-hole lead at the Open Championship on Saturday at Royal Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland.

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The PGA Tour veteran stands at 4-under 209 and holds the lead outright after Cinderella story Daniel Brown of England double-bogeyed the final hole to drop to 3 under. The six-way tie for second features Brown, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Sam Burns, Thriston Lawrence of South Africa and Justin Rose of England.

Irishman Shane Lowry began the day with a two-shot lead over Brown and went up by three after birdieing the fourth hole. He proceeded to make five bogeys and one double bogey, shooting 77 and plummeting to ninth place at 1 under, one behind World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (71).

The fickle weather conditions reshaped the leaderboard on moving day at Troon. Several players who began the day over par took advantage of a mild morning. Burns and Lawrence shot 6-under 65s, and Henley posted a 66.

Then rain and winds picked up on the Scottish seaside. Horschel, playing in the penultimate group, fared the best. He made four birdies on the front nine and his first bogey at No. 11.

Horschel then missed five straight greens and scrambled for five straight pars at Nos. 13-17, nearly holing out for birdie from the sand at the par-5 16th.

PGA Tour: It’s On to Royal Troon

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TROON – The 2024 Open Championship is the 33rd of 36 FedEx Cup regular season events. The Barracuda, the j.v. event this weekend, is the 34th of 36 events.

This weekend, the field at The Open includes:

  • The Top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings
  • An impressive 49 of the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking
  • A total of 19 past Open Championship winners: Stewart Cink (2009), Darren Clarke (2011), John Daly (1995), Ernie Els (2002, 2012), Todd Hamilton (2004), Brian Harman (2023), Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008), Zach Johnson (2015), Justin Leonard (1997), Shane Lowry (2019), Rory McIlroy (2014), Phil Mickelson (2013), Francesco Molinari (2018), Collin Morikawa (2021), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), Cameron Smith (2022), Jordan Spieth (2017), Henrik Stenson (2016), and Tiger.

Royal Troon is hosting the Open Championship for the 10th time in modern golf history. The previous winners at Troon: Henrik Stenson (2016), Todd Hamilton (2004), Justin Leonard (1997), Mark Calcavecchia (1989), Tom Watson (1982), Tom Weiskopf (1973), Arnold Palmer (1962), Bobby Locke (1950), Arthur Havers (1923)

There are 40 players in the field who competed in the 2016 Open Championship when the tournament was last held at Royal Troon. That includes five golfers who finished inside the Top 10 in ‘16: Henrik Stenson/Won, Phil Mickelson/2nd. Tyrrell Hatton/T5, Rory McIlroy/T5, Dustin Johnson/T9.

DeChambeau Earns U.S. Open Win

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PINEHURST – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bryson DeChambeau parred the final three holes to complete a 1-over-par 71, and that was enough for a one-shot victory at the U.S. Open in North Carolina, winning the championship for the second time in five years.

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DeChambeau, who began the day with a three-shot lead, finished at 6-under 274, benefitting from Rory McIlroy’s late putting failures.

McIlroy, who gained the lead on the back side, bogeyed the last hole by missing a par putt from about 4 feet. Then DeChambeau, playing in the last group, clinched it with a par putt after blasting out of a greenside bunker on his third shot.

DeChambeau became the second former Southern Methodist University golfer to win a U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, with this title coming 25 years after Payne Stewart’s memorable championship.

McIlroy’s 69 was tainted by bogeys on three of the last four holes, and he finished as the U.S. Open runner-up for the second year in a row. McIlroy, who won the 2011 U.S. Open, was trying to secure his fifth major championship and his first since 2014.

Schauffele, Morikawa in Front at PGA

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LOUISVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It was moving day at the PGA Championship. And there were plenty of top golfers that made a move up the leaderboard during the third round of the event on a sun-drenched day at Valhalla Golf Club.

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Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are at the top of the leaderboard at 15-under-par, but six players are within two shots of the lead and 15 will begin Sunday’s round at 10 under or better.

Schauffele overcame a double-bogey at No. 15 and finished his round with back-to-back birdies to post a 3-under-par 68. He’s tied with Morikawa, who shot a 67.

“A lot of guys took it low to climb their way up,” Morikawa said. “I assume tomorrow is going to be the same.”

Sahith Theegala shot 67 and is one shot back at 14 under, while Shane Lowry tied the course and PGA record with a 62 and is at 13 under along with Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland. Another shot back at 12 under heading into the final day are Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre.

“There’s blood in the water,” said Schauffele, who led after his opening round 62 and after the second round.

“There’s so many guys on that leaderboard there,” Hovland said.

The third round will begin at 7:45 a.m. local time on Sunday, and the final pairing of Schauffele and Morikawa will tee off at 2:35 p.m.

It marks just the second time since 2005 that six players were within two shots of the lead at the PGA. There were also six players within two shots after 54 holes during the 2020 event at TPC Harding.

And, according to Elias Sports Bureau, it will mark the most players to start the final round of a major that are double digits under par. The previous record was seven, which was done three times, the latest at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews.

“Look, I’ve played against all these guys; it’s not like any of these guys are new,” Morikawa said. “They all have their accolades within themselves, and really anyone can go low.”

Schauffele, who had nine birdies during his opening-round 62, had it to 15 under with three birdies in his first 14 holes. But he flew it over the green on the par-4, 15th hole and into the deep rough.

It led to a double-bogey 6, but he recovered with a wedge shot to about 2 feet for birdie on No. 17. A third shot chip on the par-5 18th hole led to another birdie.

“I mean, you summed it up for me; it was easy going there the first round,” he said. “Everything felt super easy. Felt like I’ve had to work for a lot of my birdies the last two days. Haven’t been able to make many putts. I feel like I’m still hitting the ball pretty nice. If I can just get the putter going a little bit, it should free me up.”

Morikawa got his one bogey out of the way on the second hole. He then made birdies on Nos. 3, 5, 10, 15, and 18. The two-time major champion had a chance at the Masters last month but finished tied for third.

“I’m going to tap in just kind of that mental state I’ve been in, not only those two, but in other tournaments I’ve played well in,” he said. “I think the goal for me tonight before my tee time is just to be as mentally sharp by that first hole. I think looking back at a month ago at Augusta, I felt sharp in everything, but I feel like I could have had a little bit of self-talk before I went out on that first tee and really just not got ahead of myself. Not that I did, but two holes really cost me back there. Tomorrow is just going to put everything I have out there and see how it plays out.”

Theegala made bogey at Nos. 5 and 6 but recovered. He made six birdies in his final 10 holes to post a 67. His birdie at No. 18 pulled him to within one shot of the lead.

Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, matched the lowest round ever in any of the four majors. Four players had previously posted 62s in the majors, including Schauffele, who did it in the U.S. Open last year and the first round this week.

Lowry was 29th heading into the third round and quickly jumped up the leaderboard. He shot a 29 on the front nine, reeling off four straight birdies at Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5. It was the first time anyone had shot a 29 over nine holes at Valhalla during four PGAs.

But the round could have been better. He had three birdies on the back nine and could have added another at 18. Lowry hit his drive into the right rough at the par-5 hole and then his second shot went to the left rough. He then missed an 11-foot putt for a birdie that would have given him a 61.

“Yeah, it was pretty good; I enjoyed it,” Lowry said. “I enjoyed every minute of it, obviously. … Look, I went out there with a job to do today, and my job was to try to get myself back in the tournament, and I definitely did that.

“Probably the most disappointed anyone can ever be shooting 62. I knew what was at stake (at 18). Just didn’t hit the ball hard enough. Had it on a good read and just broke away from the hole.”

DeChambeau chipped in for eagle at No. 18 to get to 13 under, while Hovland made birdies at Nos. 17 and 18.

The weather is expected to be in the 80s and sunny on Sunday, setting the stage for a frantic finish.

–Field Level Media

Scheffler Masters Augusta (Again)

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AUGUSTA – In professional golf, there’s Scottie Scheffler, and then there’s everybody else.

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The No. 1 player in the world won his second Masters in three years on Sunday in Augusta, Ga., by firing a final-round 68 to finish the week at 11-under 271.

Six of Scheffler’s seven birdies came over his final 11 holes at Augusta National as he pulled away for a four-stroke win over Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who posted a 69. Collin Morikawa struggled to a 74, tying Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Max Homa (73) for third at 4 under.

It marks Scheffler’s second major victory and his 10th win on the PGA Tour in the past 26 months. He has won three tournaments in his last four starts

After a short birdie putt at No. 3, Scheffler suffered bogeys at Nos. 4 and 7 to drop to 6 under with Morikawa, whom he led by one after 54 holes. Aberg and Homa soon joined them for a four-way share of the lead, but Scheffler and Morikawa each birdied the par-5 eighth to sneak ahead to 7 under.

But after Scheffler’s approach at No. 9 spun back and narrowly missed the cup, setting up a birdie, each of his three competitors carded a double bogey to drop down the board. First was Morikawa, who failed to get out of a greenside bunker on his third shot at No. 9 before two-putting.

Aberg’s misstep came at the par-4 11th, where his approach landed well short of the green and hit the water. And Homa went backwards at the par-3 12th after his tee shot over the green bounced into bushes and forced him to take an unplayable lie.

Scheffler made it three birdies in a row at No. 10, absorbed a missed par putt at No. 11 and rebounded with consecutive birdies at Nos. 13 and 14. The latter was the final nail in the coffin, as his approach shot landed on the green’s back ridge and slowly rolled to 2 feet of the cup.

–Field Level Media

The Masters: Half-Way Point

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AUGUSTA – Max Homa’s impressive performance in windy conditions Friday marks his fourth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and first-ever in a major championship. On Tour, he’s one-for-three converting to victory (Won/2022 Fortinet Championship, 2nd/2023 Genesis Invitational, T5/2023 BMW Championship). Both Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler share the lead.

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For Scheffler, this is his 13th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR, the most of any player since he joined the TOUR at the start of the 2019-20 season. (The second-most is eight by Patrick Cantlay).

Scheffler is three-for-12 to date converting to victory with wins at the 2022 Masters Tournament, 2023 WM Phoenix Open, 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. … It’s his third career 36-hole lead/co-lead in majors; one-for-two to date converting to victory (Won/2022 Masters Tournament, T2/2023 PGA Championship).

With a win, Scheffler can become the fourth-youngest player to win the Masters multiple times, behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros.

For Homa, as noted, this is his fourth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR but first in a major championship. His previous-best 36-hole position in a major: T11, 2023 Open Championship when he finished T10.

Tiger Woods stole the headlines for the day, extending his streak of consecutive made cuts at The Masters to 24, and breaking a tie with Gary Player and Fred Couples for the longest streak in tournament history.

For Woods, the streak began with his win in 1997, but note, he did not play in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021.

Woods is an 82-time PGA TOUR winner and five-time Masters Tournament champion.

The conditions took the field average in the second round to 75.079, the highest in a single round at the Masters since the third round in 2016 (75.719). The 6-over is the highest 36-hole cut relative to par on TOUR since the 2020 U.S. Open (+6) and highest at the Masters since 2017 (+6).

Notables who missed the cut include, Justin Thomas, Sungai Im, rookie Nick Dunlap, Sergio Garcia (who was playing well on the LIV Tour), Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson.