A penchant for cardigans and hoop polo shirts – American galleries compare the latter to the Where’s Waldo? Series on this side of the Atlantic – means that Tommy Fleetwood’s passion for fashion was the standout element of an otherwise calm 2020 year. If the 29-year-old added a green jacket to his wardrobe, the elegance of fashion would combine with the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
Fleetwood is seven under par, two halfway through the Masters lead after rolling for a second round of 66 in a birdie on the 18th. Form is only temporary.
“It was a tricky business, I’ve never played anywhere near where I would like to play,” said Fleetwood of his year so far. “If you took advantage of the 2020 PGA Tour season it was a disappointment at best, but it has been an odd year. I’ve had some great spells, but I’ve had some bad ones. Right now I feel like I’m doing good things. I felt like I played really well today and I expected that.
“We’ll see what comes up over the weekend. I feel like my game is in a good place. It’s nice to have my trainer out here, it’s nice to have my wife out here. Just a few familiar things that weren’t always there this year so I’m kind of in a comfortable place. “
Fleetwood’s clear and present dangers are Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, and Jon Rahm. Thomas produced one of the recordings of the tournament, a wonderfully improvised pine straw chip to the left of the 8th green, as he set up one of two closing birdies in succession. Abraham Ancer, number 21 in the world, and Cameron Smith, who finished fifth here two years ago, have immense merits of finishing nine under, but Thomas and Johnson are the standout names among the leading quartets after 36 holes. They also have something in common: there is a common and legitimate sense that the American couple should have more than one major on their behalf, such is their ability.
Patrick Cantlay and Im Sung-jae are eight years old and have also completed their second round.
The fact that Rahm does not have to break his main duck yet, like the unique successes of Johnson and Thomas, is unclear to many. The Spaniard is minus eight but has a manageable putt to get to nine when he returns to the 13th green early Saturday morning. Hideki Matsuyama’s score and in-play scenarios are identical to Rahm. This event remains disruptive after the Thursday morning storm.
Thomas’ Augusta record is strangely weak. “I know the golf course,” he said. “I know what to do and what not to do. I know the subtle nuances. I just haven’t done everything and done well. ” Until now. Thomas’ main stats are 66, 69.
Danny Willett, the 2016 champion, matched Fleetwood’s aggregate. Another proxy for the flag of St. George is Justin Rose, who bird-watched its closing hole to join the seven-under party. Willett’s performance deserves special praise as he made his second lap without a driver. The Yorkshireman cracked his face on his first choice and was completely dissatisfied with the backup’s performance. “I don’t like tinkering,” Willett explained. “This driver is probably three years old and that’s the only problem if you don’t want to keep changing – sooner or later this could happen.
“It’s nice to see that every 340 meters out there meet us and we hit three woods. But I play quite a few three woods on this golf course anyway. I have always. This place has always been a second shot golf course to me, and mostly because some of these smaller levels are receptive, it made it a bit easier. You come in with six irons instead of eight irons, your ball will still land on the green, whereas that would have been a major disadvantage in previous years. “
Brooks Koepka, below average five on a wonderfully overloaded ranking, described his performance as “sloppy”. Like Rahm, Paul Casey will finish his second lap on Saturday morning as delays from day one continue to have an impact. Casey starts at minus six after covering 11 holes in one. Bryson DeChambeau, who lost a ball on the 3rd, is fighting for the last 36 holes. Tiger Woods stays under after ten four.
After Rory McIlroy completed his first round Friday morning with a total of 75 shots, his first priority was just getting the cut. By now it should be clear that Northern Irish people live by higher standards. He recovered brilliantly on a 66 to get down to three. The story now is against McIlroy’s recent offer to play a Grand Slam of the Majors, as Jack Nicklaus was the last player to win the Masters from outside the top 12 at halftime in 1986. Nonetheless, McIlroy has demonstrated his ability to have ground under his feet. His talent means he shouldn’t be without hope; A scenario compounded by the fact that he won’t have the trouble returning early to finish the second round.
“I played so well when I got in here,” said McIlroy. “Then I shoot 75 and think, ‘Where the hell did that come from? ‘So I knew it was in there. I just had to trust things a little more, be committed. I turned it well to at least give myself a chance. “
Phil Mickelson added a 70 to a 69 to be four off the lead. “I hit the ball exceptionally and I bet terribly,” he said. “If I fix that this weekend, I’ll take a run.”
When Mickelson specifically pushed his performance off the tee – he’s got a long-wave driver involved this week – he replied, “Great. I ride like a stallion. “Mickelson already has three green jackets. Horses for courses.
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