Record Australians make cut at Augusta
IN: News | US PGA | US Masters (2006) | Round Two | by Bruce Young | 08 Apr 2006
In a milestone day for the Australian contingent at the Masters, seven will play the weekend, the most ever at Augusta and one more than last year.
The only Australian to miss the cut was Peter Lonard who missed by two although New Zealander Michael Campbell was also a casualty when he missed by a narrow one shot after a late fightback to get within one of the cut mark.
The field was welcomed by relatively calm and fine conditions on day two but by mid morning the breezes had picked up for the afternoon players. The breezes turned to buffeting and fluky winds by mid afternoon and those who had experienced an early draw on Thursday and a late draw on Friday appeared to have had the worst of the draw on days one and two.
Chad Campbell, who is in his fourth Masters and who has played the weekend only once previously, took a while to get moving forward on day two but when he did with a birdie at the 6th, it began a run that saw him birdie five out of the next nine holes. When he reached he 15th tee he was at six under for the tournament and the leader by one over Vijay Singh who was just starting out on his round at 1:19pm. Campbell was unable to get his birdie at the 15th and then dropped a shot at the 17th before a last hole birdie had him back at six under. He is having an excellent runoff consistency of late this being his 19th consecutive cut on the PGA Tour.
Although Singh had made a great start with birdies at the 1st and 3rd to reclaim the lead he took double bogey at the 4th after bounding through the green with his tee shot and then followed up with a second consecutive double at the 5th to fall all the way back to three under and he was three behind Campbell.
Rocco Mediate who had made such a great start with an opening 68 yesterday struggled for much of the day before a birdie at the 14th got him back within three and into what would eventually be a share of second place at the halfway mark.
Fred Couples was playing in the last group of the day and the man who has one of the best all time records of those playing this week, played beautifully in the swirling winds to turn in one under 35. If Couples is to go on and contend for the title on Sunday he will remember his second shot to the 11th on Friday as the shot which was important in keeping momentum going on such a tough day. After driving it in the trees right Couples was forced to play it down over the heads of the throngs of spectators behind the adjacent 12th tee and hook it back. It was a shot fraught with danger. If he overdid it he could easily find the water left of the green. He hit the most stunning shot which pitched short of the green and then ran past the flag to the back of the green from where he two putted for par. It turned a potential disaster into a par save.
The fluky winds caught Couples out at the par five 15th when he came up just a yard or two short and fed back down into the water and then at the 16th he three putted for another bogey. He made a great three at the 17th but then missed a very good chance to take outright second at the last when he missed from short range for birdie.
Singh, who had been playing two groups ahead of Couples, eventually made the turn in one over but dropped a shot at the 11th and then at the 13th after dunking his third into the water took his third double bogey of the day to fall all the way back to one under for the tournament and five behind the leader. He found the resolve to birdie the 15th from 15 feet and the 17th and completed a great two putt at the last from the back edge of the green. At three under and just three back he is looking very threatening.
The other four of the top five in world golf are well positioned heading into the weekend. Despite a three putt bogey at the last, Mickelson is doing enough for him to be considered a real threat to the rest of the field. It was a stop start affair to a large extent for him today but he is well placed.
Ernie Els was solid again other than a double bogey at the 10th and, like Mickelson, he is shaping as a Sunday contender.
Retief Goosen and Tiger Woods are certainly not too far back at one under, especially given that they are only two behind second place. Woods bogeyed the two par fives on the back nine and missed two very good chances at the 16th and 18th, which would have made his task over the next two days that much easier.
There were some brilliant comebacks on day two, no more than that of Australian Mark Hensby who improved thirteen shots on his opening round of 80 to record the equal best round of the day with Chad Campbell. That included a bogey at the 17th although he did follow up with a birdie at the last.
The Australians, as mentioned earlier, are headed by Nick O'Hern who displayed once again that he might not necessarily possess the game to overpower a golf course but that he can often outthink one. In just his second appearance at Augusta he has made his second cut and at one under is well placed to feature over the weekend. He would be disappointed by dropping two shots in his last three holes. O'Hern will play in the fifth last group tomorrow with David Howell.
Geoff Ogilvy is another with limited Augusta experience (in his case he is a first timer) who is playing very well. He fought his way to the turn in even par and although he dropped three shots on the way in he can be pleased already with his first up appearance. He is in 23rd place at one over but only four out of second place.
Rod Pampling is also at one over after a 73 today. After a brilliant debut in 2005 he is well on track for another good finish.
Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby (who birdied the last) are not exactly out of it at two over with Hensby one shot further back. It looked at one point as if it could be a case of Allenby and Hensby playing together on Saturday, which given their verbal spats this week, might well have been one of the more interesting pairings. It will not be the case however.
Photo - Anthony Powter
