Brooks Koepka, LIV Golf star and 2023 PGA Championship champion, found himself three shots clear of the cut line at The Masters with two holes remaining in his second round.
However, he faced a challenging moment on the 17th, where a bogey put pressure on his game, and things deteriorated further on the 18th.
His tee shot veered so far left that he opted to take a second shot from the tee. Playing his third from there, he missed the green on his approach and ended up three-putting from approximately 3 metres, recording a quadruple-bogey 8, which saw him miss the cut by two shots.
Koepka wasn’t the only one experiencing heartbreak on the final hole. Fred Couples needed a birdie on the par-4 but ended with a bogey, while two-time champion Bernhard Langer, making his 40th and final Masters appearance, had a 10-foot putt for par that lipped out, preventing him from becoming the oldest player to make the cut at Augusta.
Brooks Koepka registered a quadruple-bogey eight on the 18th hole, resulting in him missing the cut. Getty
Koepka was not alone in facing disappointment, as former champions Mike Weir, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, and the convicted felon Angel Cabrera also missed out on the weekend.
On the other hand, Justin Rose maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard, but he is being closely pursued by a formidable group of challengers.
US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is enjoying his best start at The Masters, just one shot behind Rose. Rory McIlroy staged a remarkable comeback at Augusta, sitting two behind the leader.
Keeping the pressure on was defending champion Scottie Scheffler, still in contention.
Rose, who had a three-shot lead heading into round two, made several key birdie putts at the back nine’s par-3 holes, allowing him to redeem himself after a few early mistakes, finishing with a 1-under 71.
“This is the company I strive to keep, and it’s where I’ve aimed to be throughout my career,” said Rose, who clinched his only major win at the US Open in 2013 at Merion.
“For over a decade, I’ve been a top-10 player in the world, so it’s nice to find myself back in the mix.”
Setting the benchmark at 8-under 136, Rose challenged Scheffler and the others in the afternoon session as the wind picked up, causing flags to flutter and doubt to creep in—an unsettling feeling at Augusta.
This marked the fifth occasion Rose has held at least a share of the 18-hole lead at The Masters; however, he’s yet to break the barrier of 71 in his attempts to follow that up.
After experiencing two double bogeys in three holes during his first round, Rory McIlroy responded by carding a stunning 6-under 66 for the day’s lowest round.
McIlroy navigated the front nine with a single birdie and eight pars before a flurry of birdies late in his round. He played a delicate 8-iron to a foot on the 10th and followed it up with a similar 9-iron to about 4 feet on the 11th. His most impressive shot was a 4-iron from the pine straw on the par-5 13th, which just cleared Rae’s Creek, setting up a 10-foot eagle putt that he successfully made.
“Overall, I’m proud of how I responded today after how it ended last night,” McIlroy said, radiating enthusiasm as he seeks to finally don the coveted green jacket after so many near misses.
Rory McIlroy produced a commendable round, moving back into contention at Augusta. AP
“I reminded myself that I played some exceptional golf yesterday and that two poor holes wouldn’t define my week. I’m thrilled with how I bounced back today,” he added.
Currently, Jason Day remains the top-performing Aussie, carding a 2-under 70 to leave him four shots off the lead, sharing ninth place. Min Woo Lee follows closely behind at 1-under, three shots back.
Unfortunately, Adam Scott, Cameron Davis, and Cameron Smith were also unable to make the cut.
Smith, who finished as the runner-up at the 2020 Masters, started the front nine at even par but faltered drastically on the back. He recorded a bogey on the 10th, a double on the 11th, and three additional bogeys at the 13th, 16th, and 17th, ultimately missing the cut by three shots.
Jason Day remains the leading Aussie as three of his compatriots missed the cut. Getty
The Masters Third Round Tee Times
Times in AEST. Australians in bold
Sat 11.50pm Tom Kim
Sun 12.00am Joaquin Niemann, Jordan Spieth
Sun 12.10am Stephan Jaeger, Max Greyserman
Sun 12.20am Danny Willett, JT Poston
Sun 12.30am Jon Rahm, Zach Johnson
Sun 12.40am Patrick Cantlay, Akshay Bhatia
Sun 12.50am Denny McCarthy, JJ Spaun
Sun 1.10am Maverick McNealy, Charl Schwartzel
Sun 1.20am Brian Campbell, Byeong Hun An
Sun 1.30am Aaron Rai, Justin Thomas
Sun 1.40am Sahith Theegala, Davis Thompson
Sun 1.50am Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark
Sun 2.00am Nick Taylor, Daniel Berger
Sun 2.10am Tom Hoge, Max Homa
Sun 2.30am Harris English, Min Woo Lee
Sun 2.40am Sam Burns, Nico Echavarria
Sun 2.50am Brian Harman, Bubba Watson
Sun 3.00am Davis Riley, Michael Kim
Sun 3.10am Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood
Sun 3.20am Patrick Reed, Collin Morikawa
Sun 3.30am Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama
Sun 3.50am Jason Day, Sungjae Im
Sun 4.00am Rasmus Højgaard, Viktor Hovland
Sun 4.10am Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton
Sun 4.20am Matt McCarty, Shane Lowry
Sun 4.30am Rory McIlroy, Corey Conners
Sun 4.40am Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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