The weather played a major factor in the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, resulting in the suspension of play on Friday afternoon.
According to AccuWeather, there's a 96% chance of precipitation on Friday and 98% chance on Saturday in Augusta, Georgia. Heavy rain and winds materialized and the weather hazard horn rung across Augusta National two separate times as trees were uprooted on the course.
Play was first suspended at 3:07 p.m. ET for 21 minutes. It was suspended again at 4:22 p.m. ET and ultimately called for the day. The second round will resume Saturday morning. Brooks Koepka sits atop the leaderboard at 5-under. Tiger Woods is 2-over.
TEE TIMES: Pairings for Friday's first round
Second round suspended for the day due to weather
The Augusta National Golf Club announced Friday afternoon that the second round of the Masters has been "officially suspended for the rest of the day" nearly two hours into a second weather delay. Play will resume Saturday at 8:00 a.m. ET.
Live Leaderboard: Latest Masters Tournament Scores, Schedules, Pairings and more
Tiger Woods saved par-4 on No. 11 right before the weather hazard horns sounded the second time of the day at 4:22 p.m. ET. The first weather delay lasted only 21 minutes. The second delay neared the 1.5 hour mark before officials called it a day.
Woods was even on the day and 2-over for the tournament, right at the projected cut line. He's tied for 50th place, while Brooks Koepka leads at 5-under.
No one injured by downed trees
Augusta National Golf Club confirmed that no one was injured when multiple trees blew over near the 17th hole at the Masters due to wind . Grounds crew members had started working on the downed trees with chainsaws by 5:00 p.m. ET, shortly after play was suspended at 4:22 p.m. ET due to heavy winds and rain.
"The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters Tournament will always be the top priority of the Club, which will continue to closely monitor weather today and through the Tournament," Augusta National said in a statement on Friday.
Trees fall near spectators at Augusta
Play was suspended for a second time shortly after due to heavy winds and rain.
"I was sitting, looking, waiting for the next group to come up to the tee and it fell maybe 8-10 chairs to our left," patron Megan Hill of New York said, per the Augusta Chronicle. "I stood up and screamed and thought, 'Is it going to fall on me? It fell to the left of us and it was so scary."
MORE: Trees fall near spectators at Augusta National during Masters second round
Tiger Woods saves par on No. 11, but another weather delay is called
Tiger Woods saved par on No. 11 with a confident putt to stay 2-over, the projected weekend cut line. He blasted a 336 yard drive down to the left of the fairway, but he missed the green on his approach. Woods avoided a costly bogey with a clutch putt.
Right after Woods sank his lengthy putt, the horns began to blow again at Augusta National to signify yet another weather delay. The crowds groaned and didn’t appear to budge despite calls to evacuate.
Jon Rahm sinks back-to-back birdies, moves into 2nd place
World No. 3 Jon Rahm made consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth holes to take sole possession of second place in the tournament. He sat 9-under through nine holes, three strokes behind leader Brooks Koepka.
Rahm overtook amateur Sam Bennett, who shot a 4-under 68 to move to 8-under for the tournament.
It could be a final weekend grouping of Koepka, Rahm and Bennett when play wraps up Friday.
Tiger Woods makes birdie putt after brief weather delay
Tiger Woods made a birdie putt on No. 8 to move to 2-over for the tournament, right on the projected weekend cut line of +2. Woods has made 22 consecutive cuts at the Masters, the longest active streak and second-longest in history.
Play was been briefly delayed with severe weather in the area, but the action resumed about a half hour after the horns blew at Augusta National.
Temperatures were expected to drop in the late afternoon and early evening hours with winds having shifted and now coming out of the northeast.
Play suspended as Rory McIlroy finishes +5, likely to miss cut
Play was suspended during the second round of the Masters shortly after 3 p.m. ET due to a weather warning. Raindrops had been falling and ominous clouds and more severe weather was in the area.
It was not immediately known when or if play would resume Friday.
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy shot a 5-over 77 and is likely to miss the cut sitting at 5-over for the tournament. The cut is expected to be around +1 or +2. McIlroy is still seeking his first Masters win, which would make him just the fifth golfer all-time to complete a career grand slam.
Tiger Woods was on the fringe at 3-over for the tournament and was playing the ninth hole when play was suspended.
Scheffler shoots worst round of Masters career; amateur making it look easy
Defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler shot a 3-over 75 in a disappointing second round for the World No. 1. Scheffler had only once previously shot an over-par Masters round, doing so on a Thursday in 2021.
Scheffler birdied just one hole and posted two bogies and a double bogey Friday.
Meanwhile, amateur Sam Bennett wrapped up a 4-under 68 to reach 8-under for the tournament and sole possession of second place behind Brooks Koepka (-12). Bennett, vying to become the first-ever amateur to win the Masters, could find himself in the final grouping this weekend.
Raindrops starting to fall as field takes shape
Raindrops started to fall during the second round at about 2 p.m. ET but playing conditions didn't seem to be immediately affected. More rain was expected later in the afternoon and into the evening.
Brooks Koepka became just the fourth golfer in history to open two rounds with a score of 67 or better and leads the field at 12-under for the tournament. Amateur Sam Bennett owned sole possession of second at 8-under through 16 holes of his second round.
Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm were tied for third at 6-under and Collin Morikawa sat at 5-under.
Meanwhile, both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were in danger of missing the cut. With the current projected cut at 2-over, Woods sat right on the line with McIlroy, the world's No. 2-ranked golfer, in danger at 4-over for the tournament.
Jason Day faltering; McIlroy in trouble; another birdie for Bennett
After briefly moving to 9-under and just three strokes off the lead, Jason Day double-bogeyed 15 and followed up with a bogey on 16 to drop all the way to 6-under for the tournament.
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy sat at 5-over for the tournament through 11 holes and was very much in danger of missing the cut, which was projected to be at 1-over.
Amateur Sam Bennett continued his incredible form with a birdie on No. 13, moving into a tie for second place and six strokes off the lead.
Tiger tees off; Scheffler still struggling; amateur in contention
Tiger Woods teed off on No. 1 to kick off his second round of the Masters. The five-time winner was tied for 54th at 2-over entering the day and likely has some work to do in order to be safe from the weekend cut.
Meanwhile, defending champion Scottie Scheffler saw his frustrating Friday continue by posting a double-bogey on No. 9. He was 2-under through 11 holes.
Amateur Sam Bennett birdied No. 9 to move to 6-under for the tournament, just six strokes off leader Brooks Koepka, who shot a 5-under 67 Friday. No amateur has ever won the Masters.
Scheffler makes first birdie in frustrating second round
Defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler made a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole after showing visible signs of frustration throughout the front nine.
Scheffler bogeyed No. 1 and settled for par on holes 2-7. The 26-year-old missed multiple mid-range birdie putts along the way and now sits at 4-under for the tournament and even for the day.
Brooks Koepka continued his second-round charge and leads the Masters at 12-under through 15 holes. Jason Day was making a charge Friday and sits second at 8-under through 10.
McIlroy struggling early; Spieth, Morikawa moving up leaderboard
While Brooks Koepka maintains a four-shot lead after a birdie on No. 13, others are trying to make a push to join him at the top.
Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth are each two-under for the day, for a score of 5-under while Rory McIlroy is two-over after back-to-back bogeys and is 12 back of the leader. Jason Day completed his front nine and is four off the pace at 7-under.
The projected cut line is at 2-over.
Jason Day making a charge, Brooks Koepka now at 10-under
After making par on the first hole, Day has surged into a tie for second with two straight birdies on No. 2 and 3. Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm are also at 7-under but will take the course Friday afternoon when it is expected that the weather will start to take a turn for the worst. Justin Rose and Zach Johnson are among 12 players that have played under par in the early portion of the second round.
Koepka has had his way with Par 5's in the second round, making an eagle on the Par 5 No. 10 and now is three shots clear of the second-place place golfers.
Koepka increases lead
Brooks Koepka is trying to make sure he is among the leaders before the expected weather hits, which is sure to make things difficult for players who are teeing off later. Koepka saved par on three of the first four holes and took advantage of the par-5 second hole by making birdie to take the outright lead.
Others who have teed off in the second round include Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland and Jason Day.
What time does Tiger Woods tee off today?
Tiger Woods tees off his second round at 12:54 p.m. ET alongside two players at the top of the leaderboard after Thursday's first round.
Co-leader Viktor Hovland was tied with Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka at 7-under par to start the day. Xander Schauffele is tied for sixth at 4-under par.
Woods, meanwhile, was tied for 54th at 2-over-par entering the day.
Co-leader Brooks Koepka tees off in second round
Koepka had the lead at 7-under with two others, one of 14 rounds of a major he has led since 2017. He had eight birdies, nine par, and one bogey during his first round. He started his second round with one of the earlier tee times and settled for par on the first hole to remain at 7-under.
The weather is not expected to be pleasant Friday afternoon, so officials have bumped tee times up 30 minutes. Jose María Olazabal and Cameron Champ will get the second round started at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Here's the complete list of tee times for Friday's second round.
There were 18 LIV golfers in the 2023 Masters field, six of whom have previously won a Green Jacket.
Here are those golfers and how they fared during the first round:
Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010 Masters champion) — 1 under, tied for 26th
Bubba Watson (2012, 2014 champ) — 5 over, tied for 78th
Dustin Johnson (2020 champ) — 1 under, tied for 26th
Patrick Reed (2018 champ) — 1 under, tied for 26th
Sergio Garcia (2017 champ) — 2 over, tied for 54th
Charl Schwartzel (2011 champ) — 2 over, tied for 54th
Brooks Koepka — 7 under, tied for lead
Bryson DeChambeau — 2 over, tied for 54th
Cameron Smith — 2 under, tied for 17th
Louis Oosthuizen — 4 over, tied for 73rd
Mito Pereira — 2 over, tied for 54th
Joaquin Niemann — 1 under, tied for 26th
Kevin Na — withdrew after nine holes due to illness
Abraham Ancer — even par, tied for 37th
Thomas Pieters — 2 over, tied for 54th
Harold Varner III — even par, tied for 37th
Jason Kokrak — 1 over, tied for 45th
Talor Gooch — even par, tied for 37th
While the PGA Tour considers the Masters an official event, the field is determined by the Augusta National Golf Club and is by invitation only. That means LIV golfers can compete in the tournament.
The Masters will pare down the field after Friday's second round, with the low 50 players and ties qualifying for the final 36 holes.
Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most Masters cuts made with 37, followed by Fred Couples and Gary Player who each made the cut 30 times.
— Fletcher Page, Augusta Chronicle
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