AUGUSTA, Ga. — For a good part of Friday, it seemed like Corey Conners was going to keep doing what he normally does at Augusta National — wildly windy conditions be damned.
He was 1 under through eight holes and 3 under overall, firmly in the mix. But he wasn’t the only victim of some serious Georgian gusts Friday afternoon and went 5 over in a three-hole stretch after making the turn and ended with a 4-over 76.
It was a grind. Winds gusted upwards of 70 kilometres per hour through Friday afternoon. On the broadcast, Dottie Pepper said it was getting to the point where it was "just hard to stand up." The field, compared to the first round, was 200 more shots over par.
The cut came at 6 over.
"This is the windiest I've ever experienced at Augusta National today," Conners said. "I feel like one of the more difficult days I've ever had on a golf course really.
"With the way the wind was blowing, and the challenge of this place really got magnified."
Conners will have ground to make up on Saturday, entering the weekend eight back of the lead held by first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau, 2022 Masters winner and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and Max Homa — who is inside the top 10 through 36 holes at a major championship for the first time. That trio is at 6 under and has a two-shot lead.
But there were some flashes of brilliance for Conners on Friday of the 88th Masters — in some very difficult conditions — especially with the club that doesn’t often bail him out, his putter.
The Canadian made a slippery par-saver on 18, and opened the day making an eight-footer on 1 for par, an eight-footer on 2 for birdie, a 10-footer on 3 for par, and a 19-footer on 4 for par.
“Putter was great. I didn't put myself in the easiest spots the first handful of holes, but made a bunch of putts,” Conners said. “Certainly, of everything, I think the putting was most challenging today to get the speed right with the wind and the read.”
Conners was into a tie for sixth as he got closer to the second nine but got a bad-luck break on No. 9 after his approach had just a little too much spin and sucked back off the front of the green. His approach on No. 10 blew over the green while his approach on No. 11 landed in the water — leading Conners to make back-to-back double bogeys.
On the par-3 12th, however, Conners' tee shot landed on the green and the quietest area on the course heard a loud yelp from his brother-in-law, Jackson Martin, who watched Conners’ birdie putt via binoculars find the bottom of the cup.
“The shot on 12 was really, really challenging. I hit a pretty solid straight shot, and it curved 40, 50 feet to the left from 145 yards,” Conners explained. “I certainly didn't have much momentum going but got me back on track a little bit. That was definitely a huge putt to make, and I think it turned my round from getting really ugly to respectable.”
Conners and Adam Hadwin were the Canadians to make the cut.
Mike Weir shot a 5-over 77 Friday to finish at 7 over. Nick Taylor struggled to a 9-over 81. At 14 over after 36 holes, Taylor beat just one golfer this week.
Hadwin grinded out a 1-over 73 and made the cut with two shots to spare. He said the hole locations were set into areas where precision was key and with the gusts, Hadwin said he stood over the golf ball "basically guessing" what the wind would do on Friday.
“I've been kind of fighting the driver a little bit these last two days, and that's not a great way to start this golf course. I do believe it's a second shot golf course, but when I'm having to play under trees for half the holes, it makes it very difficult,” Hadwin admitted.
The wind took its toll through the second round with a handful of notables missing the cut including Dustin Johnson, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth.
Through to the weekend, in impressive fashion, was Tiger Woods. Woods set the record for made-cuts in a row at the Masters, with 24. He shot an even-par 72 Friday and sits at 1 over through 36 holes. Good enough, with plenty of room to spare.
Woods — who had to play five holes of his first round in the morning before beginning his second round — is just seven shots back of the lead and he’s not letting anyone forget he’s got a shot.
“I'm here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament,” Woods said.
Given how bunched the leaderboard is, we’re primed for another dramatic finish at Augusta National — and Woods, somehow, someway, is included in that mix of storylines.
Homa, Scheffler, and DeChambeau lead but Woods is there, feeling like he has a chance. Major winners Collin Morikawa and Cameron Smith are lurking. Ludvig Aberg shot the round of the day, a 3-under 69, and is inside the top 10 in his maiden Masters. Conners needs a low one, but conditions are set to be ripe for scoring over the next two days.
It's the weekend at the Masters. Buckle up.
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