Ex-Hog Moore fights wind, makes cut
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Taylor Moore started his second round of the Masters spectacularly Friday but had to settle for a 3-over 75 as strong winds blew caps off patrons at Augusta National.
Moore, a former University of Arkansas golfer, is at 2-over 146, eight strokes out of the lead shared by Max Homa, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler. Moore made the halfway cut and is tied for 24th going into today.
“Growing up in Oklahoma, I’ve played in windy conditions before,” Moore said. “I will say this is slightly more challenging, given the amount of slope. It would blow 10 to 15 [mph] and you could hit a shot, but it would gust close to 40.”
The wind blew a runaway chair 50 yards back up a hill on No. 15 while Moore played his second shot at the par-5 hole.
Moore solved the capricious conditions early, holing a 30-foot birdie putt after a 7-iron approach and then jarring a 120-foot eagle chip at No. 2 — one of just three eagles all day.
Together with his opening-round 71, Moore at one point was tied for fifth place at 4-under. But he had bogeys at Nos. 4, 7, 8, 10 and 12, plus a double bogey at 17 where he needed two chips from over the green and two putts from 6 feet.
Then close to the cut line, Moore responded with a birdie at No. 18, bending his second shot “probably 15 to 18 yards” and burying an 8-foot putt to complete a 5 3/4-hour round.
“Yeah, it’s challenging,” Moore said. “I struggled in the middle of the round. I might be a little too far back, but anything can happen out here. I feel if I can put a couple of good rounds together it can still be a great week.”
Moore’s caddie, David Pelekoudas, worked overtime to help his player figure out the gusting winds.
“At No. 18 we were asking an official about the sand on the greens, because the bunker faces were blowing,” Moore said. “There was a lot of sand around the hole.”
Moore did well to save a bogey on the seventh hole, getting up and down from a bunker after his second shot had caromed off a tree into nearby No. 17. He also made a par-saving 15-foot putt at No. 11.
About his eagle at the second, Moore said, “That was pretty cool. We hit the second shot long right. We thought that was the best angle to give us the most space and the chip was into the wind. It had a pretty big swing right to left and just got the right amount of break.”