Scheffler in driving seat as Woods falters in Augusta
SCOTTIE Scheffler remained in control of the 86th Masters as a putter as cold as the weather ended the faint hopes of Tiger Woods playing his way into contention.
Woods had defied the odds to make a 22nd consecutive halfway cut in the year’s first major in his first top-level start since suffering severe leg injuries in a car accident 14 months ago.
But the chilly conditions at Augusta National were doing the 46-year-old’s injury-ravaged body no favours, the 15-time major winner covering his first 12 holes in four over par.
After a perfect drive on the first, Woods hit a mediocre approach and three-putted from long range for a disappointing bogey, but almost holed his greenside bunker shot for an eagle on the par-five second and tapped in for birdie.
Woods needed a fairway wood to attempt to reach the green on the par-three fourth and tugged his shot left of the green, but produced a superb chip over a bunker to save par. However, after a poor approach to the next, Woods proceeded to four-putt from 65 feet for a doublebogey six, a somewhat casual bogey putt catching the left edge of the hole and spinning out.
Woods also three-putted the ninth and 11th before carding his second birdie of the day on the parthree 12th, the same hole where he took 10 in the final round in November 2020.
History was firmly on Scheffler’s side as he attempted to cement his position as world number one with a first major title.
A superb second round of 67 gave Scheffler a halfway total of eight under par and a recordequalling five-shot lead over defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and first-round leader Sungjae Im.
After saving par on the first, Scheffler birdied the second and third to move six shots clear, before a bogey on the fourth and Lowry’s second birdie of the day on the sixth meant the gap was down to four.