AUGUSTA - Andy Ogletree stood at the projected cutline at even par when the second round of the Masters was suspended because of darkness Friday.
The Georgia Tech amateur was 1 under on his round through 10 holes before play was halted. After an opening round of 1-over 73, Ogletree bogeyed No. 2 at the start of his afternoon tee time.
However, he birdied Nos. 9 and 10 - hitting approach shots to seven feet on both and making the putts - to move him in position to continue playing on Saturday.
Here’s how other locals in the field fared Friday:
Bubba Watson, Georgia: Is 1 under after rounds of 74 and 69.
Matt Kuchar, Georgia Tech: Is 1 under through 13 holes of his second round.
Larry Mize, Georgia Tech: Is 2 over through 14 holes of his second round.
Kevin Kisner, Georgia: Is 2 over through 14 holes of his second round.
Brendon Todd, Georgia: Is 2 over after rounds of 73 and 73.
No. 3 holds a grudge against DeChambeau
Augusta National bites back.
Bryson DeChambeau singled out the par-4 No. 3 hole as one he planned to take advantage of with his great length. The 350-yard hole seemingly no match for the new and improved distance man as could drive it with a 3-wood.
However, DeChambeau took a triple-bogey 7 on the hole during the second round Friday.
Take that.
DeChambeau’s tee shot got lost in the left rough, about 30 yards from the green. A great search could not come up with the ball and he was required to go back to the tee and re-hit. The second drive landed in a similar area, prompting DeChambeau to say: “It’s going right there again.”
However, this time the ball was easily located.
His approach, now his fourth stroke, went long right, 24 yards from the pin. He chipped on five yards past the pin, missed the first putt and tapped in for a triple bogey.
DeChambeau said before the tournament that during a practice round he got to the green. He hypothesized that Augusta National would play to a par 67 because he could easily reach the four par-5s in two and drive the third.
DeChambeau was 1 over for the tournament and 3 over for the day through 12 holes when play was suspended. He’ll need to make a move to make the cut, which is currently at even par.
Careful, Augusta National can hold a grudge.
Amateur success
The second round was not completed Friday, but John Augenstein already had locked up the title of most relaxed amateur in the 2020 Masters title.
The young Kentuckian backed up his first-round 69 with a 72 Friday, which at 3 under should place him safely north of wherever the cut line falls at the conclusion of the round Saturday.
At the close of business day Friday, he was the only one of the six amateurs in the field under par and certain to play on through the weekend.
The key may well have been his first hole Friday, which for him was resumption of his rain-delayed first round of the day before. Pitching in from 48 feet for eagle on the par 5 13th gave Augenstein a nice little cushion for the rest of the day.
“It was really a pretty straightforward chip,” he said. “Obviously you never know you’re going to make it, but I felt pretty good about getting it up and down and just kind of came off right and caught the right edge and went in.”
Starting his second round on the back side, Augenstein shot 3-under 33 on that nine to get to 6 under for one point in the tournament. But he fell back, shooting 2 over on the front side thanks to a bogey at No. 5 and double bogey at the par 4 7th.
A fifth-year senior out of Vanderbilt, last season’s SEC player of the year, Augenstein qualified for the Masters as a finalist in the 2019 U.S. Amateur. He lost in heartbreaking fashion to Ogletree at Pinehurst, going 4-up early in the 36-hole final, only to lose 2-and-1 by that afternoon.
As for the other four ams: James Sugrue (77-71) was at 4 over; Lukas Michel was 6 over with three holes to complete his second round; Yuxin Lin was 8 over with three holes remaining and Abel Gallego was 10 over with seven holes left.
Langer becomes oldest to make the cut
Chalk another one up for the old guys.
Bernhard Langer, the oldest player in the field at 63, finished his first round with a 4-under 68 on Friday. That was good enough for a tie for 10th after completion of play, three shots off the lead. He followed that with a 1-over 73 second round to stand at 3 under. He became the oldest player to make the cut at the Masters.
The two-time Masters champion shot his lowest round since a third-round 68 in 2001. It was his first round in the 60s at Augusta since a fourth-round 69 in 2014.
Langer was asked following his second round if the course makes him feel younger.
“No, it actually makes me feel older when I play with these young guys and I see how far they hit it and how short I hit it,” he said. “It makes me feel older, not younger. I like this golf course. I think I know how to get around it, even though I hit very long clubs. But it’s certainly not easy.”
That doesn’t mean Langer hasn’t performed well as he continues to play the Masters, making his 37th start this week. He has made the cut in five of the past seven Masters, including 2018 and 2019. He is currently ranked 1,348th in the world.
It was a long day for Langer after 26 holes.
“My knees are shot right now,” Langer said. “My wife just said, you’re not going to hit balls, are you? I said, no, no chance. I’m done.'”
Larry Mize (age 62) opened with a 2-under 70. He was 2 over through 14 holes of the suspended second round. Fred Couples (61) opened at 5 over and finished 6 over to miss the cut. Sandy Lyle (62) opened at 6 over. He was 5 over after 16 holes of the suspended second round.
Suspended second round
The second round of the Masters was suspended because of darkness at 5:30 p.m. Friday. It will be completed early Saturday morning and will be televised by ESPN starting at 7:30 a.m. “College GameDay,” originating from Augusta National, will start on ESPN2 at 9 a.m. and move to ESPN when coverage of the Masters second round finishes.
Forty-eight players were still on the course when play was halted with 43 players having completed their second round.
The third round, after cuts are made, is expected to begin at 10:30 a.m.
Van Rooyen withdraws
Erik van Rooyen, from South Africa withdrew from the tournament due to injury on Friday after completing his first round. He shot a 76.
Weather report
The weather forecast for the remainder of the tournament:
Saturday: Mostly sunny and cooler. Low: 53 degrees, High: 70 degrees. Winds: NE shifting E 6-12 mph.
Sun day: Partly cloudy. Low: 55, High: 78. Winds: SW shifting W 7-14 mph.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will continue its full coverage of the Masters. Check back throughout the day for updates to this story and additional news, features and photos.
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