AUGUSTA - The wind began to enter the conversation about mid-morning at Augusta National on Friday, slowly and sporadically at first, then in earnest, with great fervor by lunchtime. The 15 mph gusts not only caused havoc with the hats of the patrons, they also helped blow some big names over the cutline and out of town for the weekend.
Only the top 50 and ties qualify for the weekend. This year the magic number was 4-over 148.
Gone with the winds are four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who missed the cut for the second straight year, and Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open winner who took a double-bogey on 17 to shoot 80. Olympic gold medalist Xander Shauffele will sit out the weekend, as will world No. 11 and rising star Sam Burns.
The most unkind cut belonged to three-time major winner and 2015 Masters champion Jordan Speith. He has the weekend open thanks to the swirling winds at the par-3 12th, which threw two of the Texans’ shots into Rae’s Creek and led to a triple bogey. He would have made the cut had it not been for a double-bogey at 18, where a strong tailwind carried his ball into the bunker and caused him to hit his third shot short, setting the table for six.
The result: Spieth missed the cut at the Masters for the first time in nine tries.
Rory McIroy made it to the weekend after he played the last seven holes in 3 under, but had a first-hand look at the carnage. He was on the 11th green when he witnessed Spieth’s tee shot finding the water at No. 12 – “That’s a good visual,” he said. And he watched playing partner Koepka blow it over the 12th green with his tee shot.
“It’s gusty. It’s hard to commit to a number because the wind is so much up and down,” McIlroy said. “And the greens are getting firm and that makes it hard to stop it. Hitting it on the green and making two putts and par is the name of the game.”
Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, related how the wind affect him and playing partner Seamus Power at No. 12.
“I hit it in the water,” Reed said. “I hit an 8-iron and overturned it left and it went 133 yards. Seamus hit 8-iron and flew it into the back bunker. You have to figure out what gust it’s going to hit and what direction it’s going and it just makes this place even harder.”
The key, said veteran Lee Westwood, is to miss in the proper place, just to have a chance to get up and down.
“A couple of times where Russell Henley, who I was playing with, I thought he hit a couple of good shots and got up there and he had no chance of getting up and down,” Westwood said. “I missed in the back trap on 12. (And took double-bogey.) It’s just very awkward. Very tricky. You have a lot of control and a little bit of luck today.”
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