When you’ve produced a show-stopping performance, what do you do for an encore? Justin Rose’s riveting 65 on day one at Augusta was always going to be a hard act to follow.
It was a rip-roaring display that would’ve prompted a standing ovation at Live from Her Majesty’s, let alone The Masters.
What those golfing gods giveth, though, they can easily taketh away. Twas ever thus in this fickle old game. Rose’s rousing surge to the line during the first round had given him the kind of sizeable cushion you’d get in a Bedouin tent.
In fact, he was holding the joint-largest first round lead seen at a major for 75 years.
Rose wasn’t sitting so comfortably during round two yesterday but, as his four-shot overnight lead slowly eroded, the Englishman showed terrific composure, resolve and craft to winkle out a gritty level-par score.
If Thursday’s round was spectacular, then this one was just as impressive in terms of salvage. Having limped through his opening seven holes in three-over, which left those hunting him circling like vultures, Rose, with two second place finishes in The Masters, drew on all his experience and Augusta nous.
Three birdies on the run-in, at 13, 14 and 16, saw him sign for a 72 that could so easily have dribbled into the damaging realms of a 76 or worse. At seven-under, exactly where he started the day, the 40-year-old had consolidated his lofty position as round two unraveled. It was a fine example of keeping the heid on a day which saw the defending champion, Dustin Johnson, and an out-of-sorts Rory McIlroy miss the cut.
"The finger was moving towards the panic button,” he said with a wry grin as he reflected on that shoogly start. “But I hung in well and weathered that part of the round. Rarely do you put together a great round like Thursday and back it up with another the following day. You don’t skip round here for 72-holes. There will be some mini-crises and I expect to face them again.”
As Rose toiled in the early stages – a leaked drive on the first which led to him chipping out sideways set the tone – it was Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger who was at the vanguard of the initial assault from the invasion force with a 66 for a four-under aggregate.
The canny 35-year-old, with seven European Tour wins to his name, has a decent body of work at Augusta and has never missed the cut in five previous appearances.
When he birdied four of his first five holes, his progress was as classy as a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic. By the time he had picked up another birdie on the 15th, he was sharing the lead until Rose went on a late burst.
“I tried to follow up what Justin did,” said Wiesberger, referring to Rose’s opening 65. “I got into good positions to attack the flags.”
Wiesberger’s 66 was matched by the charging Tony Finau, who eagled his second and then birdied the sixth, eighth, ninth and 10th during a terrific thrust. The bogey on the 18th was something of an anti-climax but, after an opening 74, he was right back in the thick of it on four-under
Justin Thomas also leaked a three-putt shot on the last but his 67, burnished by a birdie blitz around Amen Corner, got him into the upper echelons on the four-under mark. There was the obvious regret, of course, for the shot that got away. “To say I'm mad for three-putting the 18th is an understatement,” the world No 2 grumbled. “It is a birdie putt I'm looking to make and I three-putted.”
The thoroughbreds were gathering like the starting line at the Grand National but Will Zalatoris, a late entry into the tournament, came sneaking up on the rails with three birdies to finish in a 67 to lurk just a shot off the clubhouse lead.
Back to the form horses and Jordan Spieth’s menacing advances underlined his continued resurgence. The 2015 champion, fresh from a much-needed victory in Texas last weekend, finished strongly and got home and hosed with a 68 for a five-under total.
“A good last six holes,” he said. “And I’m in position for the last 36-holes.”
Spieth was joined on five-under by Australia’s Marc Leishman, that steady campaigner who continues to knock on the door of a major breakthrough. Three birdies to start with had him off and running and the 37-year-old, who shared fourth at Augusta in 2013, ended with a sturdy 67.
Did you know Leishman won the Tennant Cup at Glasgow Golf Club as an amateur many moons ago? Of course you did. It gets brought up every time he’s in the major hunt by us Scottish golf writers.
This particular major hunt, meanwhile, will have few more twists and turns yet.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel