AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hype. So few times does the billing live up to it. Expectations are so high that they can only fall short — even more so when it comes to something which has been circled for so long. The longer the build up, the higher the hopes. Not often does the appointment viewing reach the level originally thought.
While that can be the case for most events, it is clear through the first two rounds of the 2025 Masters that this one may well be the one when the year is over. The first major championship of the season has delivered every aspect of what makes a great golf tournament great across its first 36 holes.
Augusta National Golf Club withstood a Monday deluge and providing a stern but fair examination. It has produced scores ranging from 65 to 90 and allowed for wily veterans to battle the cutline while the best of the best to rise to the top.
And it should only get better from here.
Heading into the weekend, 21 players sit within six strokes of 18- and 36-hole leader Justin Rose. The frontman possesses an Olympic gold medal, U.S. Open trophy, 15 weeks at world No. 1 and plenty more in his career bag. The Englishman stands as one of the great champions in golf, but he is just one of many in this tournament.
“That’s what I’ve learned from [the 2024 PGA Championship and Open Championship], and to sort of make it happen this weekend is, yeah, what is it,” Rose said. “Like, if it was a secret recipe, you’d know it by now. But it’s about just playing great golf. And I think the leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there. So, you’re going to have to play great golf, and you’re going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it.
“It’s as simple as that, really.”
Eight major championships are scattered across three of his closest pursuers, all within earshot: Bryson DeChambeau (one stroke back), Rory McIlroy (two) and Scottie Scheffler (three). DeChambeau and Scheffler possess two each, while McIlroy holds the heavyweight weight on his shoulders with four on his own and 10+ years of angst seeking a fifth. (The other two belong to Xander Schauffele, who is a half dozen back yet still has a chance.)
McIlroy sizzled with a Friday 66 putting the Northern Irishman firmly in major championship heading into the weekend. But this is not just any major for Rory; it’s the one long missing from his mantle.
It doesn’t stop with that group, though.
McIlroy’s good mate, Shane Lowry, seeks for another massive moment following a difficult end to his major championship season a year ago. In full control at The Open, the Irishman lost his cool and a real chance at raising another Claret Jug. A green jacket would surely suffice instead.
“This is what we practice for. This is what you get up out of bed in the morning, for late tee times on Saturdays and Sundays of majors,” Lowry said. “I got myself a late tee time [Saturday] afternoon, and hopefully I can go out and do something pretty good and get myself a late tee time Sunday and take it from there.”
Ludvig Åberg has created opportunities for himself in four prior major starts. In start No. 5, he sits five strokes back of Rose with a chance to improve on a T2 finish from his debut at Augusta National in 2024. Masters champions Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama have bullied their way into contention at the site of their lone major triumphs. Looking to join them in the one-major club — grabbing the green jacket most put on a pedestal — are the likes of Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im and Tommy Fleetwood.
In total, the top 20 players atop this leaderboard have combined to win 18 majors and two Olympic gold medals (among them are all three Olympic medalists from 2024 in Paris). They consist of the top six players in the Official World Golf Rankings and three former world Nos. 1 (including Scheffler, who presently holds that mantle).
Simply put, the leaderboard is stacked. The stars have come to play. The lights now squarely on them. Only 36 holes remain, and only one will outshine the rest.
Good bye, Bernhard
The Masters said goodbye to one of its great champions Friday afternoon. Bernhard Langer nearly turned the clock all the way back, but when his birdie putt when slipping by on his last hole, it meant the end of the two-time champion’s last competitive stroll at Augusta National. Langer played in 41 Masters and had many memorable moments, but his longevity and high-level play late into his 60s may be what fans ultimately remember.
“I had no clue. I had no idea, period,” Langer said. “I mean, just the golf was nothing in Germany, and when I became an assistant pro, just to teach golf and to help others to improve my game, I thought that was going to be my life. Then I became a fairly good player during those 3.5 years, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I should try The European Tour for a couple years and see if I can make a living playing golf,’ because it’s probably more fun than teaching golf on the range for eight hours a day.
“We know the rest, right? But I had no clue I would ever play in America and end up living in America and marrying an American, raise my kids here, and then win the greatest tournament in the world, and on and on. Yeah, it’s truly a fairy tale.”
The reigning champion’s finish
The world No. 1 did not have his game in perfect order on Friday. A round after navigating through Augusta National without dropping a shot, Scheffler struggled late but still did enough to remain inside the top five and remain a large presence on the first page of the leaderboard.
Scheffler signed for three birdies on his first nine against just one bogey before an immensely and uncharacteristically turbulent second side. The two-time champion recorded four bogeys, three birdies and two pars, but that’s just the beginning of the story.
After back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10-11, Scheffler chipped in on No. 12 when receiving a good break from higher up on the hill beyond the putting surface. His second on the par 3 found the bottom of the cup while his second on the par 5 found the bottom of Rae’s Creek.
Back and forth he went. Laser approaches on Nos. 14 and 17 set up easy birdie makes, while a poor swing on No. 16 led to a three-putt bogey before a left miss on the finisher forced Scheffler to take a breather underneath a Magnolia tree. He saved bogey on the last to maintain a spot inside the top five.
“Golf is a funny game. It’s a day-to-day thing. Yesterday, I felt really sharp. Today, not as sharp,” Scheffler said Friday. “Could the conditions have contributed to that? I’m sure a little bit.
“It was definitely much harder to hit the ball where you were looking today just because the wind was blowing from everywhere. That’s what’s great about this golf course is it’s quite challenging and you get winds like that, you’ve really got to manage your expectations, manage yourself around the course. Sometimes I did a good job of that. Other times, today, maybe not so good.”
Rory’s roaring recovery
McIlroy has played 34 holes in 10-under fashion without a bogey and two holes at 4 over with a pair of double bogeys. It appeared Thursday those two holes would be the story of his Masters; they no longer need to be revisited — at least not now — as the bigger story has turned into those other 34, specifically the 18 that were played Friday.
Making his 11th attempt at completing the career grand slam, McIlroy put his foot on the gas amid a somewhat-calm stretch around Amen Corner. With the wind subsiding, he stepped through with four straight 3s on his scorecard and a renewed bounce in his step.
Whether McIlroy goes onto to win the Masters, grab his green jacket and complete the slam remains to be seen. A memorable triumph and another agonizing defeat are both in the cards. However, what is clear is that his resiliency Friday was next to none as he successfully dusted himself off and forced his way back into major contention.
“I think, overall, just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night,” McIlroy said Friday. “I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday, and you know, I wasn’t going to let two — you know, two bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week. But yeah, just ultimately, yeah, just proud of how I got back into it today.”
Watch the 2025 Masters all weekend long with expanded coverage from CBS Sports. Masters Live follows the best in the world across Featured Groups, Amen Corner and Holes 15 & 16. Check into those streams live across Paramount+, CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App with extended broadcast coverage Saturday and Sunday from 12-2 p.m. on Paramount+ and 2-7 p.m. on CBS.
If at first you don’t succeed …
Nick Dunlap found himself 25 strokes off the first-round pace partly due to Rose’s fine play but mainly due to his poor play. Carding an atrocious first-round 90, the two-time PGA tour winner pulled himself up by his bootstraps, choosing not to feel sorry for himself and withdraw from the tournament like some would have done. Instead, he began anew on Friday.
The result was a second-round 71, a 19-stroke improvement between his sets of 18 holes — the largest in a major championship since 1966. It is clear Dunlap has areas to work on in his game (the driver comes to mind), but it is also clear he has one area that is going to be just fine moving forward: his heart and determination.
“I think a lot of people would have maybe backed out, maybe not,” Dunlap said. “Certainly, I wanted to at times. I know that. There’s a lot of things I could have done that would make me a lot more happy to come out and feel like I’m not playing well at all and come play golf in front of a bunch of people. But yeah, I’m never going to quit. I’m always going to show up.”
Bryson’s brain
So much thinking is required around Augusta National, and no one may do more of it than DeChambeau. The two-time U.S. Open champion followed an opening 69 with a stellar 68 to head into the weekend of the second straight Masters with a chance at the slipping on the green jacket.
DeChambeau now has three rounds in the 60s across his last six at Augusta National. While much is made of his distance off the tee (and rightfully so), it is his touch which is improving with it. The right hander was a perfect 7 of 7 scrambling on Friday, including a hole-out birdie from the greenside bunker on the par-3 4th.
“If I’m really trying to find my golf swing, I can go through a hundred [swing thoughts] pretty easily,” DeChambeau said. “I’m telling you, like 15 to 20 on a range session, easily. Maybe more sometimes, if I’m really trying to find something. I’ve got a lot going on up in there. You wouldn’t want to be in there.”
The Viktor Scale
Even after a win at the Valspar Championship in his last start out, Hovland was cautious about his chances at Augusta National. He stated his game may not be in the state required for the year’s first major, that it could be a short week for the Norwegian despite a run of solid form.
Let this stand as the latest example of golfers being the most unreliable narrators of their own game. Hovland may not have the entirety of his game in sync, but he has two of the most important areas intact — his iron play and his putter. The former FedEx Cup champion has carded rounds of 71-69 while gaining nearly five strokes on the field on approach and another four on the greens.
His short game will be tested and his driver needs to improve, but according to Hovland himself, his swing is only at a 6.5 out of 10. As for when he was at his best — the BMW Championship, FedEx Cup run and the 2023 Ryder Cup. Well, that was only a 7.5 out of 10.
The early bird gets the worm
The weather forecast is not always correct, but it was on Friday. With winds freshening as the day progressed, those off in the early hours took full advantage of the conditions out in front of them. There were 13 rounds in the 60s at Augusta National in the second round, and 11 of them belonged to men who had morning tee times.
McIlroy’s majestic 66 made for the lowest score of the round, but he was joined by Rasmus Hojgaard’s 67 and 68s from DeChambeau, Lowry, Matsuyama and Matt McCarty who all find themselves inside the top 10.
Read the full article here
