World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, the N.3 Justin thomas and the surprising Mexicans Abraham Ancer and Australian Cameron Smith, share the lead of the Augusta Masters, after the 2nd round that could not finish Jon Rahm, well placed, and Tiger Woods, in ambush, Friday.
Like the day before, the darkness forced more than half of the competitors, 48 out of 92 exactly, to have to get up early the next day to finish their card, before immediately moving on to the third.
Among them, the one to have stood out is world No. 2 Jon Rahm, who, after 12 holes, temporarily climbed to 5th place (-8), along with Japanese Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) to whom there are also three holes left to play. They rub shoulders with the American Patrick Cantlay and the South Korean Sung-jae Im, one stroke from the leading quartet.
Defending champion Tiger Woods, author of a strong first day at -4, did not improve his 10-hole tally, netting two birdies that only filled his first two bogeys of the tournament, only to stagnate at one. provisional 22nd place.
The “Tiger“, in search of a 6th green jacket in Augusta, will be inspired to finish his second round well on Saturday morning if he wants to nibble his delay (5 strokes) on the four leaders, who all finished their course strong to tumble down top of the ranking (-9), at the start of a sun-drenched and very slightly windy afternoon in Georgia.
Ancer and Smith surprise
Dustin Johnson did it last, in extremis, entering his 4th birdie of the 2nd round on the last hole, thus maintaining his leading position assured early in the morning, at the end of the first round which he had to take back after the interruption of the day before.
“I like to know where I am at the start of the weekend“, he welcomed.”The conditions should remain the same, we will have to continue to be aggressive, to shoot well“on a course softened by the heavy rain which fell on Thursday morning.
Johnson joined 2017 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas who entered two of his seven birdies (one double-bogey, two bogeys) on the final two holes.
“You can do so many birdies here if you control the ball well. The greens are so impeccable that you can put the putts from almost anywhere“Said the 27-year-old American, too”happy to be so well placed“mid-tournament.
If his presence and that of Johnson at the top of the table are not surprising, that of Cameron Smith and Abraham Ancer is surprising.
DeChambeau in danger
The first, 5th in the Masters in 2018 and winner of two tournaments on the PGA circuit, also tumbled at the end of the race, scoring an eagle and then three birdies on his last four holes.
“It was a bit of a roller coaster today, a rambling day… But I hung on and in the end it was brilliantSmith commented soberly.
As for Ancer, who is looking to become the first golfer to win the Masters for his first appearance since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, he also finished strong with a decisive birdie on the penultimate hole.
As for the favorites, the fortunes have been diverse.
Northern Irish Rory McIlroy, in search of the only Grand Slam missing from his record, reacted very well after a nightmarish inaugural day ended at 75, returning a card of 66 to total -3 and end up in 27th place.
On the other hand, the American Bryson DeChambeau is in great danger. The winner of the last US Open is provisionally in 61st place with a total of +1, resulting in particular from a triple bogey committed in the 3rd. He has six holes to straighten out a compromised situation, otherwise he won’t pass the cut which could be set at 0, according to the PGA’s projections.
A sword of Damocles which is neither above the Frenchman Victor Perez (-3, 27th) nor the German veteran Bernhard Langer, who at 63 years old became the oldest player to have passed the cut (also -3).
