Rose clings to one-shot lead at Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose apparently didn’t get the memo that Augusta National was a little more forgiving Friday in the Masters. The consolation was still having the lead, but just barely.
Rose didn’t hit one putt hard enough to get through the fringe behind the fourth green. Another putt on the sixth hole didn’t have enough pace and returned back to him some 60 feet away.
All around him, major champions and a Masters rookie scored well enough to close the gap. The contenders even included Si Woo Kim, who broke his putter in anger and used a fairway metal to putt the final four holes.
Rose was among 12 players who broke par Thursday. He wasn’t among the 40 who broke par on Friday.
“I didn’t quite appreciate the scoring was going to be quite so good today,” he said.
Even so, his even-par 72 was good enough for a one-shot lead going into a weekend filled with a little mystery how Augusta National will play and plenty of possibilities for who will win the green jacket.
One certainty: It won’t be Dustin Johnson, who took 64 putts in 36 holes and missed the cut by two shots.
Rose was at 7-under 137, one shot ahead of Brian Harman (69) and Will Zalatoris (68), the 24-year-old from Dallas who still doesn’t have a full PGA
Tour card.
“I wanted to be here my entire life,” Zalatoris said after birdies on his last three holes to get in the final group. “Some people shy away from that, but I’m excited to be here. There’s no reason to feel intimidated now. I made it to here. And obviously, the job is not done by any means.”
Jordan Spieth (68) and Marc Leishman (67) were two shots behind. Spieth stands out for his wizardry around Augusta National — one green jacket, two runner-up finishes and a third place in his seven appearances — and because he is coming off a victory in the Texas Open that ended a drought of nearly four years.