The Masters: Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, extended his extraordinary run of form to a five-stroke halfway lead at The Masters, while Tiger Woods recovered from a dreadful start to relax into the weekend.
Scheffler, chasing his fourth victory in six attempts, recorded four birdies in a five-hole stretch en route to a five-under 67 at Augusta National, matching the greatest 36-hole lead in Masters history.
The 25-year-old blended seven birdies with two bogeys to pull away from a four-way tie for second, which included defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, overnight leader Sungjae Im, Ireland’s Shane Lowry, and 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel, all on three under.
Lowry started the week with a one-over 73 and fell further behind after missing a five-footer to save par on the first hole, only to make up for it with birdies on the second and seventh holes, as well as a magnificent chip-in from over a bunker on the par-four tenth.
The Irishman then took advantage of the par-five 13th and birdied the 15th to go four-under for the day, before holing a 10-footer to save par at the par-three 16th and rounding out a flawless back nine to remain in contention.
“It was one of the better rounds of my career,” Lowry said. “It was quite tricky out there, quite difficult, and I managed to play some good golf and holed some nice putts at the right times.”
Schwartzel rolled back the years with a three-under 69, which he shared with Matsuyama. Im was also three-under following a two-over 74 due to a final-hole bogey.
Cameron Smith, one of six players with a chance to finish the week as world No. 1, birdied two of his final four holes to post a two-over 74 and stay within six strokes of the lead, while Justin Thomas had a second-round 67 to climb the leaderboard and into the top-10.
Woods mounts a valiant comeback
Following Louis Oosthuizen’s withdrawal due to injury, Woods was forced to play in a two-ball with Joaquin Niemann, with Woods recovering from bogeying four of his first five holes to post a two-over 74 and advance to the weekend.
Woods scored a tap-in birdie at the par-five eighth and a magnificent approach into the par-four tenth to pick up another stroke in his first competitive start since November 2020.
Woods, 46, bounced back from consecutive bogeys starting on the 11th hole with back-to-back birdies on his next two holes, and he’s on the verge of making even more inroads down the stretch.
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