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5 Things We Learned from Day 2 at the Masters

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There was no shortage of matters to talk about at the Masters on Day 2, although the main storyline (Jordan Spieth dominating the field), remained the same.

We’ll get right into what we observed from Friday at the Masters.

This Masters might be more (and less) anticlimactic than last year’s

Spieth

The 21-year-old Spieth went out on the second day and fired a flawless bogey-free 6-under 66 to stretch his lead to five going into the weekend, almost matching the six-stroke 36-hole leads Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods posted at the 2011 and 2000 U.S. Opens, respectively. At one point, Spieth was actually six ahead and nine clear of third place, but he’s probably quite fine with this diminished but still formidable margin.

Unfortunately, that leaves viewers with a tournament that might easily be over with 36 holes to go, kind of like last year’s U.S. Open. If you recall, the 2014 Masters was plagued by a Sunday back nine that lacked drama, as Bubba Watson ultimately held a comfortable three- or four-shot margin throughout that time.

We might be in for an even bigger snoozer with Spieth out so far ahead.

Yet, the fact that it is Spieth miles in front may make the tournament more dramatic. Golf fans like to see history, and enjoy when the sport’s superstars decimate fields. Woods and McIlroy have proven that in the past that fans will become fascinated over just how large their margins of victory will be, and Spieth likely falls in this category with his young age and the fact he has already flashed so much superstar potential.

Maybe it just depends on what angle you take here. Whatever the case, the Masters may see a blowout this year but many eyes will still be watching.

An Easier Augusta National is Still Hilariously Frustrating

The past few years, the winning score at Augusta hasn’t vacillated much, falling into the 8- to 10-under category, but we’ll almost certainly see a lower winning score for the 2015 edition with a 14-under lead and four more 7-under or better with 36 holes to go.

Still, even in an easier year, Augusta is so full of nuances that players’ frustration levels still constantly boil over.

We saw some humorous examples on Friday.

There was Bubba’s bafflement over a putt on No. 15:

Then, we have Billy Horschel screaming into his hat after his birdie effort on No. 13 nastily lipped out (Horschel would shoot 78 and miss the cut):

Horschel

And of course, Henrik Stenson, who finished 2-over to make the cut on the number, breaking his club following his third shot approach finding the water on No. 15:

Major championship pressure is also apparent, with this beauty from Justin Rose (WHO IS PLAYING REALLY WELL AND IS IN THIRD PLACE):

Don’t be fooled. Augusta is gettable, but as easy as ever to rack up bad scores in a hurry.

Ask Rory McIlroy, who posted a solid 71, but only after turning in a baffling front-nine 40 on Friday. Reminder: He’s the No. 1 player in the world.

The Masters is getting more backlash than ever for its limited coverage

OK, this kind of started yesterday with USA Today’s Chris Chase lamenting the Masters’ 3 p.m. ET television start time over the first two days. Golf Digest followed suit in its Thursday “Birdies and Bogeys” section.

But it picked up steam on Friday, as mutliple outlets complained about the late TV start time phenomenon again. It didn’t help that NONE of Spieth’s epic second round appeared live on television.

And others were totally perplexed as to why the featured groups section of the Masters’ early online coverage did not include Tiger Woods as he played his second round before ESPN went to air.

The problem of limited Masters coverage is certainly nothing new, which these sources well know (some might not have realized though that the Masters featured group section has ignored Woods’ and Mickelson’s morning rounds for years now).

It appears, though, that the media and likely the public have reached a boiling point on this issue. Tradition is considered sacred on the grounds of Augusta, but this is something people aren’t buying — or are more willing than ever to publicly flog rather than sit back and moan about privately.

Hopefully, the Green Jackets take notice. But probably not.

The Par-Fives are still massively important

Yeah, not a big surprise here, but it is startling just how well some of the top names on the leaderboard abused the par-5s on Friday.

Mickelson and Kevin Na both played these holes in 3-under on Friday, catalysts to their rounds that went well into the 60s. Ernie Els birdied all four par-5s to offset four bogeys and come in at 72 for a two-day 5-under total, and Spieth matched the Big Easy’s accomplishment on the long holes.

And Dustin Johnson flat out murdered the par-5s, producing three eagles and a birdie on the long holes en route to a second-round 67 and a spot in one of Saturday’s final groups.

You don’t need to play the par-5s terrifically at Augusta to win, but it’s certainly quite beneficial.

Tiger has still got it (to some degree)

TigerMasters

The concept of Woods being “back” is pretty fluid and depends on any one person’s definition, but his play in the first two days is far more impressive than anybody predicted.

Woods is just two months removed from a ghastly performance in Phoenix where his chipping became the source of a debate over whether the 39-year-old had the short game yips.

Yet, his play around the greens on Thursday may have saved his round, and while his short game was more up and down on Friday, Woods posted a second-day 69 to head into the week 2-under and in the top 20.

For a guy just months removed from this, and who hadn’t played competitive golf in about 60 days, that’s a remarkable 36 holes.

Even from just two rounds of play, Woods has shown there is still plenty left in the tank. With McIlroy and now Spieth rising to the fore from the young group, that’s a pretty exciting statement.

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Kevin's fascination with the game goes back as long as he can remember. He has written about the sport on the junior, college and professional levels and hopes to cover its proceedings in some capacity for as long as possible. His main area of expertise is the PGA Tour, which is his primary focus for GolfWRX. Kevin is currently a student at Northwestern University, but he will be out into the workforce soon enough. You can find his golf tidbits and other sports-related babble on Twitter @KevinCasey19. GolfWRX Writer of the Month: September 2014

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Philip

    Apr 11, 2015 at 12:36 am

    I just don’t see the problem with not showing Woods, Mickelson or any particular golfer who may or may not be hot. There are a lot of players to watch and I enjoy seeing everything and not just the greens like a lot of other tournaments. I tune in to the Masters to watch the Masters, not any one golfer. Especially for the first two days. Now on the weekend I expect to see the leaders. As far as Spieth walking away with the tournament – it is far too early to even be thinking it. He can easily stall tomorrow or sunday.

  2. T

    Apr 10, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    Well written, thanks!

  3. other paul

    Apr 10, 2015 at 8:54 pm

    Very impressed with Tigers turn around. I am not really a fan, but I hope things get better for him.

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