Masters

AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB, AUGUSTA GEORGIA | Moments in life often turn into memories. And we hope that moments in our imagination one day become reality.

After a few minutes of stressful shopping, I walked out of the golf shop to see patrons marching in the wrong direction. One of the guys was a teacher from Texas that won the lottery in 2019. If she is a student of the game, she may find herself back at the sacred grounds as a competitor. On 16, I watched players stuff it next to the pin and skip it across the pond. When I arrived onsite, Aimee and I started our speed walking to see as much of the plush land as possible. On Tuesday, the weather forecast was something storm chasers dream of, but to Masters attendees was a nightmare. She quickly hit me with, “Do you want to go to Augusta?” It was a “yes” that came off almost as natural, excited and doubtless as the one I’d said to my fiancé when he asked me to marry him a few months back. For the duration of the week, green was a constant in my outfits on and off the golf course. As a lover of the game of golf, it’s a week in April I’d look forward to every year. In the spirit of a “Tradition Unlike Any Other,” I created a few of my own. When those two intersect, and we live out the moments we had only imagined before, it becomes a highlight in the movie of our lives – one of the many short films we will play over and over in our minds for as long as we live. In middle school, I’d sit in class with my phone perched on my backpack with hopes that my teacher wouldn’t see the pink azaleas reflecting in my eyes.

Tiger Woods has defied the odds to post an under-par opening round to begin his quest for a sixth US Masters title and complete an incredible sporting ...

Chip to 6 feet. No. 17, 440 yards, par 4: Driver to second cut on right side. No. 13, 510 yards, par 5: Drive to centre of fairway. No. 11, 520 yards, par 4: Driver to middle of fairway. Approach to front of green, rolled back to fairway. Approach to front of green, rolled back to fairway. Pitch to short of green. No. 7, 450 yards, par 4: Fairway metal to pine straw past the right side of fairway. No. 5, 495 yards, par 4: Driver to fairway. Approach to front of green, rolling just back onto the fairway. "You just can't not watch him," said Australia's Cameron Smith, among those tied for the lead after shooting a 68. Woods' career was in jeopardy after the car wreck left him confined to a hospital bed for three months.

Cameron Smith's fine round of 68 started and finished with double bogeys while Danny Willett opened with 69 and Tiger Woods with 71.

His 69 was matched by Danny Willett, who is looking to end a dismal Augusta run since donning the Green Jacket in 2016. Scheffler also came unstuck at the last but only by way of a bogey. No chance; birdies at the 13th and 16th – he converted from 29ft there – contributed to a day’s work under par. He cut a frustrated figure after a wasteful dropped shot at par five eighth and was again agitated following a pulled drive at the tricky 9th. He played perfectly controlled golf for six holes – at which point he was one under – before a wayward tee shot at the 7th. Cameron Smith, seeking to become the only player other than Woods to claim the Players Championship and Masters in the same year, again proved his Augusta specialism.

In his first competitive round of golf in 508 days, Woods mixed three birdies with two bogeys at Augusta National to sit three behind clubhouse leader ...

Sure, he could have posted a number for the rest of the field to catch. He planned to work out any lingering angst by spending 30 minutes on a stationary bike back at the house he’s renting. He’ll be in there with a good chance to win.” You need to hit your irons close, and you need to be really good with the putter.” His iron on the par-three sixth landed a foot from the hole. Besides, he has grown comfortable among the Georgia pines, never missing a cut in five starts and putting together a runner-up finish to Dustin Johnson in 2020. A chip-in from off the green on the par-four fifth provided a welcome jolt. He doesn’t have to excel at either thanks to a world-class short game, the kind that lends itself to getting a green jacket draped over your shoulders on Sunday afternoon. Smith is well aware he could have gone even lower save for a pair of wayward approach shots at the first and the last. The 28-year-old Australian’s opening round at the Masters started and ended with double bogeys. Smith’s game is an anachronism of sorts, one brought into stark contrast while playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau, who never met a driver he didn’t like to mash. There was plenty of time to stew if Smith wanted.

The only man to shoot all four rounds in the 60s at Augusta National was at it again Thursday with a 68 — and he had a prime seat for the day's main ...

The Masters groups players in threesomes the first two rounds, but Smith and Bryson DeChambeau played in a twosome after their third, Paul Casey, withdrew due to back issues. Augusta saw torrential downpours for most of the day Tuesday, off and on Wednesday and Thursday morning, but Smith called course conditions “amazing” despite the soaking. The Smith-DeChambeau twosome played quick enough that they found themselves waiting for the threesome ahead to clear. In between, it was pure bliss: pinpoint accurate iron shots (he hit 14 of 16 greens in regulation), phenomenal drives (10 of 12 in the fairway) and even a chip-in on the par-4 fifth — his first birdie of the day and one that triggered quite a run. Smith only felt its bite on No. 1 and 18, where errant tee shots resulted in the pair of doubles. By noon Thursday, the skies cleared, the sun shined and the wind was whipping. And so, as most do when in the presence of Tiger Woods, Smith dropped what he was doing — which was playing a great round of golf at, ahem, the Masters — to admire the 46-year-old, 15-time major champion. Business in the front, party in the back, some might say. In fact, after Thursday’s round and despite hiking some 11,000 steps across Augusta National, Smith planned to return home for a 30-minute ride on a stationary bike. Smith did it all while one group in front of the main attraction. But on this day, Mullet Man bested Big Cat. Smith continues what’s been a sizzling start to his 2022 season. The 28-year-old, mullet-wearing Australian carded a 6 on each of the par-4 first and 18th holes.

Even more improbable than Tiger Woods showing up for the 2022 Masters was the idea that he could actually contend at Augusta National.

“I know where to hit it to a lot of these pins, and I miss in the correct spots and give myself good angles,” he said. So to have the patrons fully out and to have that type of energy out there was awesome to feel.” He had a sloppy warmup session, mixing a combination of chunks, pulls and chunk-pulls in with his usual mastery of the golf swing. He holed a difficult par putt at 9, and another short tester at 10, and another at 11. At No. 7 he found trouble but punched from the trees back into the fairway, short of the greenside bunkers, and trusted his short game to save par. His tee shot made it less than 200 yards but settled in a reasonable position, just short and left of the fairway. At last the fairway cleared and Woods stepped up to his ball. Woods hadn’t played a competitive stroke-play round since November 2020, after all, and he hadn’t played in front of a full crowd in more than two years. He knows when he should speak up and when it’s fine to let the silence hang. He hit a terrific two shots to hit No. 13 in two, setting up another birdie. He paced off several steps to a sprinkler head at the front of the tee box and cross-referenced with his yardage book, gathering the exact distance to the bunker on the left. Woods knows the yardage to the bunker.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The sun emerged through a narrow opening in a cloud-filled sky as Tiger Woods approached the first tee on Thursday at the Masters Tournament.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” he said of the tournament. A round in the 60s was not out of the question, but Woods managed only a routine par on the 17th hole. But the round finished with a flourish as he recovered to sink an 8-foot putt and secure an under-par round. His putter, however, could not save him, and he fell back to even par for the day with a bogey. On the ninth hole, he yanked his drive into the trees left of the fairway before leaving another approach short, though he again saved par with a clutch putt. Leaving the sixth green, Woods shrugged his shoulders impishly and covered his mouth to — barely — conceal a grin. But, beginning with the seventh hole, recurring errors had Woods scrambling to keep up with the leaders. On the ninth hole, as Woods left the tee, he noticeably winced as his right leg appeared to land awkwardly. A few long seconds later, it dropped onto the green and came to a quick stop roughly 18 inches from the hole for an easy birdie. After a mediocre pitch onto the green, Woods faced the kind of putt no golfer appreciates on the first green — a slippery, breaking 12-footer. “I’m right where I need to be,” Woods, who was tied for 10th, said of his position (Sungjae Im led the field on Thursday with a five-under 67). Of the thousands of fans who flocked to every hole he played, he said: “The place was electric. He rarely, for example, squatted behind his golf ball as he once did to read putts close to the level of the playing surface.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A quick look at the opening round of The Masters, where Tiger Woods made his comeback, Sungjae Im holds the lead and several big names are ...

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU (76) – DeChambeau played his final five holes in 3 over, including a double-bogey at the 14th. He has finished outside the top 10 in just three of his eight Masters starts, and shot over par in the first round all three times. He’s finished in the top three all five times he’s shot under par in the opening round. JON RAHM (74) – The world No. 2’s streak of four straight top-10s at Augusta National may be in jeopardy after a first-round 74. His brother/caddie, Alex, and agent went to Dick’s Sporting Goods on Tuesday to buy a net, allowing Higgs to hit balls on the porch of his rental home. This is Scheffler’s first Masters with Ted Scott, who caddied for Bubba Watson in his two Masters wins, on the bag. The Australian arrived at Augusta National ranked sixth in the world and third in the FedExCup. Smith, who has three top-10s in his last four Masters starts, is trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win THE PLAYERS and the Masters in the same year. He also won the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January by shooting the lowest score in relation to par in PGA TOUR history. “To play this golf course and to do what I did today, … to hit the shots in the right spots, I know where to hit it to a lot of these pins, and I miss in the correct spots and give myself good angles,” he said. He struggled with a left miss off the tee but still averaged 288 yards with his drives and reached the green in two at the par-5 13th. The field averaged nearly 74 strokes per round Thursday. A tricky, inconsistent wind made it harder for players to gauge their approach shots, as did the occasional mud ball. Woods walked slowly, with a slight hitch in his gait, and occasionally used his club for support while strolling down the fairways.

The groups will remain the same, with morning and afternoon tee times flipping from their Round 1 slots.

10:56 a.m. – Jose Maria Olazabal, J. J. Spaun 11:51 a.m. – Vijay Singh, Ryan Palmer, Kyoung-Hoon Lee 10:45 a.m. – Matthew Fitzpatrick, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy 10:23 a.m. – Will Zalatoris, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm 10:12 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa 9:06 a.m. – Patrick Reed, Seamus Power, Lucas Herbert 8:55 a.m. – Lee Westwood, Russell Henley, Corey Conners 8:44 a.m. – Gary Woodland, Justin Rose, Takumi Kanaya Round 2 groupings will remain the same as Thursday's opening round. 8:22 a.m. – Bernhard Langer, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Cameron Davis 8:00 a.m. – Sandy Lyle, Stewart Hagestad 8:11 a.m. – Lucas Glover, Erik van Rooyen, Cameron Champ

No. 2, 575 yards, par 5: Drive down right side of fairway. Fairway metal short of green. Wedge from 50 yards. Two putts from 16 feet. Par. Score: Even. Status: ...

Chip to 6 feet. Approach to 20 feet. No. 17, 440 yards, par 4: Driver to second cut on right side. No. 13, 510 yards, par 5: Drive to center of fairway. No. 11, 520 yards, par 4: Driver to middle of fairway. Approach to front of green, rolled back to fairway. Approach to front of green, rolled back to fairway. Pitch to short of green. No. 7, 450 yards, par 4: Fairway metal to pine straw past the right side of fairway. Approach to 15 feet. No. 5, 495 yards, par 4: Driver to fairway. Approach to front of green, rolling just back onto the fairway.

On a wild first day at the 2022 Masters there was no shortage of interesting facts and figures.

For a man who once famously said Augusta National was a par 67 for him, it’s kind of difficult to get to that number with a double box on the card. Nine times in the history of the Masters a player has finished runner-up and won the green jacket the following year. Cameron Smith had quite the day, opening and closing with a double bogey and still shooting 68 to reside in second place.

The 31-year-old North Carolinian had a spectacular eagle en route to a second nine 33 that erased a slow start in his first trip around Augusta National.

“I told my caddie on the first hole I could hit it anywhere,” Varner said. It also validated what he has been doing — even though he had been close a number of times, he never was able to close the deal, not until that Sunday halfway around the world. “I could get my foot in the ground,” Varner said of his stance in the right pine straw on the par-5 13th. “I was hitting it,” an emphatic Varner said after the round. Varner lives just two and half hours away in Charlotte, North Carolina, though never wanted to come to The Masters on anything but an invite. “My parents didn't go to college, so I didn't really know anything of the college experience, and I had an unbelievable coach that just cared a lot about me, not so much the golfer,” Varner said.

The Masters is the most prestigious tournament on the PGA Tour, garnering a lot of attention from folks who typically don't follow golf, but when it comes ...

Given the U.S. Open generates at least $15 million per year in sponsorship revenue, it is safe to assume that the Masters could pull in at least $20 million, thanks to its much higher tv viewership. This works out to a per cap of about $25. These prices could easily be brought up to a per cap of about $40, increasing concessions revenue to $12 million. The Masters generates no domestic tv revenue because its agreements with CBS and ESPN allow Augusta complete control of the broadcast in exchange for no compensation. Augusta sells practice round badges for $75, single-day competitive round badges for $115, and four-day competitive round badges for $375 – under $100 per day of competition. In contrast, the U.S. Open gets $93 million for its domestic tv rights and north of $15 million from sponsors. The Masters revenue shortfall is deliberate.

The Masters is officially underway at Augusta National. That's our favorite sentence of the year, and we're more excited than ever.

8 a.m.: The ceremonial first-tee shots were pushed back about a half hour to let the remaining wet weather pass through. Last to hit is Tom Watson, joining the first-tee ceremony. 8:39 a.m.: The first group is off—and we have our first birdie. The 86th Masters Tournament is now underway! With all the rain, we suppose the committee knows it needs to challenge competitors on Thursday. We'd still expect low scores if the wind isn't too bad in the afternoon. He was making jokes, doing his signature kick, and hitting one down the fairway. And players like Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris—who might have a sour taste in their mouths after close calls last year—are among the favorites. The Masters is officially underway at Augusta National. That’s our favorite sentence of the year, and we’re more excited than ever. Gary Player was the first to hit. Jose Maria Olazabal—out there first with J.J. Spaun—holes out on the first green and gets to 1-under. That’s not even mentioning the other favorites like Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson … etc., etc. Rory McIlroy makes his eighth attempt at completing the career Grand Slam (he’s in the 2:33 p.m. pairing with Brooks Koepka and Matt Fitzpatrick). Scottie Scheffler, the new World No. 1, looks to keep up his torrid pace—but six players have a chance to be ranked first in the world after this week.

On paper it was a bad draw, playing in front of Tiger Woods. How did Cam Smith manage to shoot 68?

And even though the Tiger gallery was respectful, the crowd the size of a small city can only be so quiet. “There was definitely a lot of noise,” Smith admitted. He’s the type of cat that makes Dustin Johnson look stressed. Then there is the nature of the patrons themselves. Even if fans wanted to move there simply was the space to facilitate it, so everyone stood where they were. There were no shouts of “Quiet, please” or “Hold still” from marshalls or caddies; the crowd stood at attention when called for. There were similar scenes during Thursday’s first round of the Masters, and the gallery that surrounded Woods every move was loud and impressive and definitely big. Perhaps Smith also benefited from the surprise and intrigue generated by this week especially. There are a number of holes where patrons aren’t behind or near the green, severely reducing fan movement in approach sightlines. AUGUSTA, Ga.—On paper it was a bad draw for Cameron Smith, maybe the worst of draws and it had nothing to do with the weather or his pairing. But the crowds did not deter those around Woods—or at least Smith; DeChambeau finished with a 76, although he is battling injury—for Augusta National and the Masters proved unique in combating the aforementioned obstacles. For players, that usually means dealing with noise and moving scenery and just a general indifference to what you’re trying to do.

With the galleries at Augusta National Golf Club following his every move, Tiger Woods made his long-anticipated return to competitive golf at the Masters.

He reached 4 under with another birdie at the par-3 17th but missed the green at 18 and couldn't get up and down for par. That briefly put him alone in the lead at 3 under, and he recorded one bogey and one birdie the rest of the way. Smith reached 6 under with a string of three birdies at 14-16 and nearly went to the clubhouse with a three-shot lead on the field. Im, the Masters runner-up in 2020, birdied his first three holes and added a fourth at No. 7. He reached the green in three and three-putted. His shot hit the cup and stayed out by mere inches. Playing with Woods, Niemann holed out from 105 yards for an eagle 2 at the ninth. His highlight came at the par-3 sixth, right after he lipped out a 15-foot birdie try on the previous green. At the par-3 16th, the 15-time major champion drained a 29-foot birdie that swept right to left, eliciting his signature fist pump. Woods bogeyed the par-5 eighth after his third shot missed short of the green. ... So it's commitment to getting back and commitment to getting back to a level that I feel that I can still do it. Patrick Cantlay, Jason Kokrak and Canada's Corey Conners were tied for seventh after shooting 2-under 70.

With all eyes on Tiger Woods, Im discreetly turned in the round of the day at Augusta National.

Im stumbled a bit after the turn, making back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11, but then he delivered his best shot of the day at the par-5 No. 13. He got off to a blazing start, making birdies at the first three holes. “We’re only one day in,” he said. “I feel comfortable when I come to Augusta,” he said through his translator. It was like a professional shot." During the par 3 contest on Thursday, Jitaek Im served as his son's caddie.

While Tiger Woods fought off pain to walk around Augusta National, none of his rivals managed to run away with a huge lead Thursday at the 86th Masters.

"I think the key for me this week is going to be hit the driver good. It was a special honor, but it didn't give me any strokes on the field this week," Scheffler said. "The ranking was really cool. "I just really had to get into a groove," Smith said. "The wind blowing behind your back is never a nice thing there," Smith said. "It's always nice to get a good start around this place."

Tiger Woods's return has fixated golf fans around the globe — and that's just fine with early leaders Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith.

He got it together again, of course, and he won in Las Vegas this tour season, and now he has a distinction that further flatters the great golfing countries of Asia. One year after Hideki Matsuyama won a first major title for Japan, Im became the first South Korean player to lead a Masters round. Sometimes I have to watch myself around here because, for instance, on 15 today, I had an opportunity to hit a really cool shot that seemed like a lot of fun. The Other 89 certainly didn’t seem to mind being the Other 89 on a Masters day you might fairly call idyllic. That left one of those curious situations when a threesome becomes a twosome, and the twosome has to cope with finishing shots rapidly and standing around waiting, and in one of life’s nuances, standing around can end up more tiring than moving. “I feel like today was a very long day, given that Bryson [DeChambeau] and I were just playing by ourselves, lots of waiting,” Smith said. “Lots of mental energy I think was exhausted today, so just a good rest would be nice.”

The five-time champion is in the mix after the first round of a Masters tournament in which few thought he could even play, much less be in contention.

There was that edge to that answer, the edge that provided the reason to show up here. He didn’t even have to be in view for that to be the case. Afterward, Woods emerged from the clubhouse to address a gaggle of reporters. It ended up at the back of the green. He used his mind to recover from near-jail situations at the seventh and the 18th — pars from the pinestraw that combined creativity with calculus. But he also delivered the golf. There are no limits to what can be cheered when it comes to Woods at Augusta. There’s the normal stuff, as when he stuck his tee shot at the par-3 sixth to two feet. He shot a 74. Which describes the Masters when he’s a factor: fantastic. When Woods was asked whether there was victory merely in doing what he did Thursday — shooting a steady, 1-under par 71 on a rebuilt right leg that now houses enough hardware to fill an aisle at Home Depot — his answer was swift: “Yes.” They’ve seen the pictures, and they’ve come over the house. The first version Woods has played before, and at 46, he’s here for it again, with the requisite juices flowing.

The morning wave in Round 2 is loaded with star power as past champions Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth are all ...

11:18 a.m. – Mike Weir, Padraig Harrington, Austin Greaser (a) 11:51 a.m. – Vijay Singh, Ryan Palmer, Kyoung-hoon Lee 9:06 a.m. – Patrick Reed, Seamus Power, Lucas Herbert 8:33 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, Robert MacIntyre, Laird Shepard (a) Woods, paired with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann, is scheduled to go off at 1:41 p.m. ET, starring in one of the last groups to begin Round 2 after early tee times on Thursday. 8:55 a.m. – Lee Westwood, Russell Henley, Corey Conners 8 a.m. – Sandy Lyle, Stewart Hagestad (a) Watch live on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports App and Paramount+. The morning wave in Round 2 is loaded with star power as past champions Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth are all staggered throughout. 8:22 a.m. – Bernhard Langer, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Cameron Davis Pairings and tee times for the second round of play at the 2022 Masters have officially been set, and while groupings will remain the same from Round 1, start times are getting a healthy reshuffle for Friday as we prepare to narrow the field ahead of the weekend. 8:11 a.m. – Lucas Glover, Erik Van Rooyen, Cameron Champ

Among the top players in the world Tiger edged on Thursday: Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and defending champion ...

7:40 a.m.: It is a chilly morning in Augusta. Two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad and 1988 Masters champion Sandy Lyle start things up at 8 a.m., and it was frigid for their warm-ups on the range. And the scoring average was 73.83 on Day 1, plenty tough for Thursday. 8:47 a.m.: We are now almost an hour into play, and we're still waiting for a birdie in the second round. That's how you score well at Augusta National, and the Canadian—with two top 10s the past few years—is keeping up his great play so far. Here are the pin positions for Friday's second round. 9:49 a.m.: Our Day 1 leader has dropped a shot early on Friday. Sungjae Im moves back to 4-under with an unforced error at the opening hole. Christiaan Bezuidenhout bogeyed No. 1 but then birdied the second hole to put a red number on the board ... about an hour into the morning tee times. Just ahead of him at the par-5 second, Harold Varner III makes birdie to get to two under. That would include Tiger Woods, who did not disappoint on Thursday. As he often does at Augusta National, he captivated the patrons at Augusta National with a gritty 1-under 71 to put him just four back of Sungjae Im’s lead. Still, he's in red figures at one under, just four off the lead. That’s why Friday is so essential—make the cut (top 50 and ties) and you’ll very well have a chance with this possible weather. Back at No. 1, Dustin Johnson gets his second round underway with a par.

South Korea's Sungjae Im is the leader after shooting a 5-under par 67 in Thursday's first round, while Tiger Woods is four shots back in his return to ...

Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said Mickelson was invited but chose not to play. In other words, Friday should give us plenty to talk about as the Masters field is winnowed down to the top 50 and ties. That left one of those curious situations when a threesome becomes a twosome, and the twosome has to cope with finishing shots rapidly and standing around waiting, and in one of life’s nuances, standing around can end up more tiring than moving. “I get quite choked [up] when I get on that tee this morning,” said the eldest of the trio, Gary Player, 86, a three-time winner here. I don’t kind of belong in the same realm as these two players here.” Two strokes later he was in with a bogey, one of nine already at the first hole on Friday (compared with only one birdie). Only Woods can imagine what it might feel like after three more loops around this undulating layout, where every stance seems to demand that one hip be cocked above the other. They’ve seen the pictures, and they’ve come over the house. When Woods was asked whether there was victory merely in doing what he did Thursday — shooting a steady, 1-under par 71 on a rebuilt right leg that now houses enough hardware to fill an aisle at Home Depot — his answer was swift: “Yes.” Tiger Woods likely will never have a pain-free round for the rest of his life, thanks to the severe injuries he suffered in his February 2021 car crash. The first version Woods has played before, and at 46, he’s here for it again, with the requisite juices flowing. Day 2 of the Masters is here and Tiger Woods is within striking distance of the lead.

The Masters field was treated with soft conditions on Thursday morning, but the wind will pick up on Friday, especially in the afternoon.

This golf course is going to change, and it’s going to get a lot more difficult.” The first tee time on Friday is 8 a.m, which will see winds of about 5 mph. Round 1 of the Masters is in the books.

The Masters Champions Dinner was a hit. The Par-3 Contest was adorable. And on Thursday morning, after a short weather delay, the ceremonial tee shots were ...

Friday is expected to be relatively chilly in the morning, with temperatures in the 50s, rising to a peak of 65 degrees in the early afternoon. By noon, wind gusts of 17 mph are expected to blow, and gusts of 22 mph could be whipping through the Augusta pines in the early evening. That’s tough to argue when past champions are populating the leaderboard, and there are several of them lurking after Thursday’s first round. The story of the day? All in all, things are looking good for the Big Cat — and we can’t wait to see what’s in store on Friday. His one-under 71 included three birdies and two bogeys — one of which came on the par-5 8th, a hole he’s dominated in years past.

Rolling updates: Will Tiger Woods stay in step with the leaders as players battle to make the cut at Augusta? Find out with Scott Murray.

He’ll have a chance of a chip-in for eagle; more realistically an up and down for a third birdie in a row. In goes the birdie putt, and he signs for his second 71 of the week. Thomas meanwhile becomes the latest player to bother the flagstick at 14 with his approach, and he converts his birdie putt to return to +1. And up on 15, Tiger hits an uncharacteristically clumpish chip well past the flag. He’s let a couple of big chances go in the last couple of holes. He remains at +1, while his partner Niemann gets away with a sliced approach, avoiding the drink and ending up with a par that keeps him at -3. Not quite, but he’ll tap in for a third birdie in a row and will move into red figures for the first time in this tournament. He’ll have a putt for birdie and a round of 66. Having made his way up the leader board to -1 with those birdies at 13, 14 and 16, he finishes bogey-bogey for a 70 that’s slightly disappointing in context. It’s a 74, and he ends the day at -1. If he makes the putt, it’ll be his fifth birdie in the last seven holes, and he’ll have come back in 31 strokes for a 66. One heck of a back nine from Scottie Scheffler, and the world number one is in the box seat going into the weekend. Scheffler sends a big slice into the pines down the right of 18.

The South African, a runner-up at Augusta National in 2012, withdrew prior to his second round with an injury.

Oosthuizen's injury was not disclosed, though he had been sidelined earlier this season with back problems. Woods will now play as a twosome alongside Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Louis Oosthuizen withdrew from the 86th Masters on Friday prior to his second round with an injury.

Amen Corner, one of the most recognisable stretches in golf, can make or break a round at The Masters.

It is called Azalea with approximately 1,600 azaleas decorating the hole from tee to green. Coverage is also available on Sky Sports Golf (Sky channel 405) via the red button. Hole No 11, a par four called White Dogwood, has been extended by 15 yards this year.

Tiger Woods began his second round at the Masters with a bogey to drop back to even par for the tournament.

The big test for Woods is how his legs hold up. This is the only major in which Woods has never missed the cut as a professional. Sunjae Im starts the day with a one-shot lead after a 5-under 67. That number could thin with the cut looming. Five-time green jacket winner Tiger Woods is part of the afternoon session. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson is 2 under for the day and 1 under for the tournament through seven. Im wobbled early, flubbing a recovery shot at the par-4 first in which the ball failed to reach the green and rolled back down the hill toward his feet. Oosthuizen cited an injury as the reason. Schwartzel put together five birdies, including one on the par-3 16th that he set up with a beautiful tee shot to within 4 feet. ___ His approach shot landed to the right of the green. ___

The five-time Masters champion hit his tee shot on the par-4 first into a bunker. His approach shot landed to the right of the green. His ensuing pitch rolled 7 ...

This is the only major in which Woods has never missed the cut as a professional. The big test for Woods is how his legs hold up. Charl Schwartzel, who won in 2011, is 2 under for the day and 2 under for the tournament through 10 holes in the second round. Sunjae Im starts the day with a one-shot lead after a 5-under 67. Five-time green jacket winner Tiger Woods is part of the afternoon session. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson is 2 under for the day and 1 under for the tournament through seven. Im wobbled early, flubbing a recovery shot at the par-4 first in which the ball failed to reach the green and rolled back down the hill toward his feet. That number could thin with the cut looming. His approach shot landed to the right of the green. Schwartzel put together five birdies, including one on the par-3 16th that he set up with a beautiful tee shot to within 4 feet. Oosthuizen cited an injury as the reason. His ensuing pitch rolled 7 feet past the pin and his put drifted left.

The sights and colors of the Masters are what make the premier golf tournament so distinctive.

. "It's thicker than they look on TV, like a painter and decorator's suit. And while a winning player gets the green jacket for a prize, winning caddies can request their jumpsuits be sent to them as a memento of the triumphant effort. The pink of the azaleas, the yellow of the delicate jasmine and the green of the jacket worn by the winners

He had made another Masters Tournament. He had navigated the thicket of spectators. Now, as the 23-year-old Chilean stood at Augusta National Golf Club's first ...

But Couples said there is a benefit of playing with Woods and Thomas, all of the theatrics and distractions aside. Practice rounds are, of course, less pressurized, and Couples, who has long been close to Woods and is now in the twilight of his career, signaled that he sometimes plays the court jester. “Then we laugh until we get to a ball.” “He’s actually one of the easiest guys to play with over the years,” he said. “It’s very difficult if you’re the group ahead of him,” he said. “It’s very, very difficult because the crowds are watching him and they’re moving on to see him. “He’s a very simple guy to play with. Woods, who earned the first of his Masters green jackets 25 years ago, has long commanded one of the largest Augusta galleries, with some other champions certain that a “Tiger roar” through the pines simply sounds different than cheering for other players. On Thursday, the spectators began to amass around the first tee box long before Woods emerged from the clubhouse to start his tournament. “There’s a lot of movement out there.” He gets that here all the time.” And so the chaos, or whatever counts for chaos on a golf course, can make Fred Couples — a Masters champion, once the world’s top-rated golfer and a hero to baby boomer duffers — look more like an afterthought than a leading man.

Windier conditions are greeting the players at Augusta National for the second round; low 50 and ties will qualify for the weekend.

His chip made it up to the shelf past the hole, but he missed the 6-foot par putt. His drive ended up in the woods on the right — the fourth time in five holes his tee shot went right of its target — and he could only pitch out back to the fairway. He pitched onto the green but three-putted for the double. He had a wry laugh and look at the sky. His tee shot on the 176-yard hole landed short and right of the green, with a back-right hole location. His highlights on Friday included a perfect play to the par-3 16th. He remains at 3 over for the tournament. At the 450-yard par-4 seventh, Woods unleashed a mighty 330-yard drive to set up a wedge approach, which he hit to about 18 feet. He parred all nine holes on the second nine. Spieth also made a triple on the 12th hole, where he hit two balls in the water. A deft chip to under 2 feet set up the birdie. He's back to 1 over for the tournament.

Tiger Woods says the hard part about playing in Augusta isn't the golf — it will be walking the course. The crowds are cheering again for Woods, ...

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"I do enjoy the challenge, this is what major championship golf is all about," McIlroy said. "It's not easy, and it's not supposed to be easy. I think the ...

I wanted to just feel like I could make full swings with a seven-iron and still hit the same shot. So that's why I went to a lower spinning ball, and it's helped this week." "I would have had to have played a lot more wind. "I was playing a spinier golf ball and it just would have made things a lot more difficult," McIlroy added. "Someone might get to four or five under by the end of the day, but I still feel like I'm right there. "I do enjoy the challenge, this is what major championship golf is all about," McIlroy said.

Woods had an up-and-down day but managed to post a two-over 74 in his second round to stay in the mix for the weekend at Augusta National. Woods, who shot 71 ...

His play continues a remarkable year that has seen him climb to the number one ranking. Woods bogeyed four of his first five holes to make the turn at 39. Charl Swartzel, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama are tied for second at three-under.

The classic white coveralls worn by caddies at the Masters have a long history, and tradition is the winner's caddie keeps the outfit as a memento.

To save money at the show, he passed on a hotel and instead slept in his truck. That generated enough interest for Daitch to get a foothold with golf clients all over the country. In 1998, Daitch bought the company’s 25,000-square-foot building and relaunched the business under a new name, selling surgical scrubs, restaurant aprons and the like. They also provided the caddie coveralls to Augusta National for a half-century before they were driven out of business by big-box retailers. There was a time when they wore whatever they chose, but in 1940, Masters co-founder Clifford Roberts wrote a letter that proposed the idea of uniformed caddies during regular play at the club and especially for the tournament. “It’s the only outfit that you will complain about and still want to wear more than anything else in the entire world,” said Michael Collins, a former professional caddie who now works as an ESPN golf analyst.

Woods, who shot 71 in his opening round on his comeback from injuries suffered in a car crash, faltered early in the second round but managed to rebound on the ...

Woods bogeyed four of his first five holes to make the turn at 39. He was five shots ahead of a quartet of players at 3 under. He was in a tie for 19th.

A battling Tiger Woods clawed his way out of early trouble to stay in the Masters hunt carding a second round two-over 74 where the wind gave him more ...

It's going to be windy. Three-over walking onto the sixth tee and sliding dangerously close to the projected four-over cut line, Woods regrouped with nervy pars on six and seven before finally collecting his first birdie of the day at the eighth. That's the thing."

Tiger Woods overcame a nightmare start to his second round to make the cut while Scottie Scheffler shot a 67 to lead by five shots at halfway.

The Texan was in contention at one over par when taking to the 12th tee, with chaos to follow. For Stewart Cink, there was a marquee moment at the 16th. Work was required to save par at the penultimate hole after a tame first putt but Woods saved a par four at the last. He delivered the first hole in one of the tournament, a moment extra special for Cink given his son is on caddie duties. Scheffler, the world No 1, reached six under par and minus three for the day thanks to a birdie at the 13th that was out of context with the struggles of so many others. He is widely regarded as the best in the business on that front. A back nine of 33 had the man from Offaly justifiably smiling. After his round, Scheffler told US TV the secret to his success had been “managing my way around the course … when I’ve got out of position, I’ve done a good job getting the ball back in play.” The 25-year-old appeared relaxed at the prospect of being the player to beat this weekend. Woods was irked at not making a birdie on the par-five 15th and spurned a chance after a glorious iron into the par-three 16th. At the 10th, a hole that causes palpitations to most, Woods played one of the approach shots of the tournament to set up a birdie. What happened next supplied proof, if that was really needed, that the most unwise thing in sport would be to write off Woods. There was the straightforward birdie at the 8th. Woods’s celebrated period at Augusta National had never included the playing of holes 1 to 5 in four over par.

Tiger Woods says the hard part about playing in Augusta isn't the golf — it will be walking the course. The crowds are cheering again for Woods, ...

"I love competing, and I feel like if I can still compete at the highest level, I'm going to, and if I feel like I can still win, I'm going to play," Woods said. Woods crashed an SUV and hit a tree in February 2021, in a violent high-speed accident that sent his vehicle into the air, landing on its side. I did that all day, and I was able to make a few putts and end up in the red like I am now." Woods has said his adrenaline kicks in when he hit the course — and he predicted he'll be sore after putting his surgically repaired right leg to a new test. Woods last won the Masters in 2019, at age 43, claiming his fifth green jacket. The tournament is also being aired on CBS and ESPN.

"Made the cut on one leg," caddie Joe LaCava said afterward, while Woods was signing his card and preparing for a post-round visit to Butler Cabin. "Wasn't so ...

His play continues a remarkable year that has seen him climb to the number one ranking. "I'm proud of the fact that my whole team got me into this position," Woods said. Over his last 18 appearances at the Masters, Woods has moved up on the weekend 13 times. The roller-coaster stopped there, four pars coming in finished his afternoon — Woods lamented leaving some birdies out there, especially at the par-3 16th — and he's playing the weekend. That was followed by perhaps his gutsiest shot of the round, his second at the downhill par-4 10th, when he went at the pin, stuck his approach from just outside of 200 yards and made one of only 10 sub-par scores that hole yielded all day. The Old Tiger would have hated a day where he had four birdies and six bogeys at Augusta National. The New Tiger certainly didn't celebrate the way his scorecard looked as the sun started to fall over the Masters on day two, but he accepted where he was.

World No.1 Scheffler heads into the final two rounds with a five stroke lead on the rest of the field.

“I don’t feel as good as I would like to feel,” Woods said with a smile. “I definitely feel like I was in a fight today,” he said. “That’s OK. As I said, I’ve got a chance going into the weekend. Scheffler got his mistakes out of he way early and began to seize control with two birdies right before making the turn. It’s going to be a great test.” Spieth hit two into Rae’s Creek and took triple bogey on the par-3 12th. In his debut as the new No. 1 player in the world, Scheffler looked the part. “You live on a knife’s edge every hole, honestly,” said Adam Scott, who played in Scheffler's group. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and not overthink things.” The last four players who led by five shots going into the weekend went on to win. So I can’t be paying too much attention to them either way.” And then Scheffler made it feel even tougher.

Round 3 of the 2022 Masters begins Saturday, April 9, at Augusta National. Here's how to watch Masters Round 3 on TV or online.

2:20 p.m. – Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na 1:20 p.m. – Matthew Fitzpatrick, J. J. Spaun 2:10 p.m. – Cameron Smith, Corey Conners CBS’ Round 3 telecast will be available to stream on Paramount+. You can see the full Masters streaming schedule for Saturday below. Looking to make a (legal!) wager yourself? 2:00 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris 1:10 p.m. – Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay 1:00 p.m. – Kevin Kisner, Tiger Woods 12:50 p.m. – Robert MacIntyre, Lee Westwood If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Scheffler went out on a tough, windy Friday at Augusta National and fired a five-under 67. Pricing may vary.

For a second day, the lengthened 11th was the toughest hole at Augusta National. And the little par-3 12th, on a windy day, was no bargain either.

He is also the only player in the top 20 who birdied the 12th in each of the first two rounds. Two-time champion Bubba Watson said, “When you get down No. 10, it's hard to tell which way it's coming from because in the trees, it bounces around.” He striped a drive on 11, and then found the pond and made double bogey. But the greens are getting firm as well, so then it makes it hard to stop it on the green.” The flag on 12 – just 150 or so yards away – was blowing hard to the right. It was that kind of day at Amen Corner, where the weather was like a lot of the rules at Augusta National: silly, unfair, and completely unbothered by what anybody thinks of it. At times, the flag on 11 was blowing hard to the left.

AUGUSTA, Ga.—A Masters experience isn't complete without a visit to the sprawling merchandise shop. Walk in the front doors and it's easy to find yourself ...

- Tie, $75 (5 for $375) - Cufflinks, $375 (5 for $1,875) But we’ll take five of those, too. Otherwise this is just a story about how we bought 423 $85 polos, and that’s pretty boring. While our original idea of a shopping spree that we could expense to a company credit card was swiftly rejected, we did endeavor to at least see how we could rack up such a bill in one visit. AUGUSTA, Ga.—A Masters experience isn’t complete without a visit to the sprawling merchandise shop.

The conditions weren't easy at Augusta National on Friday of the 2022 Masters. Players shared how they dealt with it anyway.

“You’ve just got to get through it and try to not make doubles, essentially,” Hovland said. “You definitely have to be even-keeled,” he says. I’m not saying you want to try to make a bogey before every par-3, but in these conditions, it’s not a bad idea.” “A lot of just trusting what you are going to do, but it’s weird.” While it may make it harder to commit, better to let others be the guinea pigs on shots of intense confusion. The guesswork was at its weirdest on the 12th hole. There will be a moment on Sunday when the eventual winner of this golf tournament celebrates his win in the same way. He pumped one into the trees on the fifth and made a bogey, then made a par from the pine straw on the ninth. When the ball finally rolled into the center a few moments later, Power’s personal chef for the week — taking time off from his day job as the head chef at Old Head Golf Links — let out a roar. And then, finally, the breakthrough. He missed a short putt on the 8th and made a longer one the hole before, but the result was all the same. It was long past the point of curiosity, feigned amusement, or even frustration.

Tiger Woods made the cut at the Masters after a roller coaster Friday, continuing his excellent return to competitive golf, and is scheduled to tee off at 1 ...

It's going to be tough. It's going to be cool. And his slow start to the second round continued over the next two holes, rescuing a par on the par-five second hole before missing a short putt on the third hole for his second bogey in three holes, putting him at one over par. I need to get myself there. And the recovery only got better from there, with the shot of his second round so far coming on the 10th hole, leaving him with a very short putt for a second birdie in three holes, which dragged him to one over. I need to get myself there.

DeChambeau beaten by 63yo, misses Masters cut as infamous quote comes back to bite.

For the man who boldly claimed that Augusta was a “par 67” for him in 2020, it’s perhaps an embarrassing new low as he failed to make the cut for the first time in his career. He fired his drive into the rough and ultimately couldn’t get onto the green until his fourth shot before requiring another two shots to sink the ball on a par-four, securing his first double-bogey of the day. Perhaps it was his efforts on the 10th that summed up his Masters tournament. If there was any hope that the 28-year-old could claw back into the top 50 and make the cut, it was quickly extinguished on the very first hole when he hit a bogey on a par-four. Perhaps his snail-like pace would have been grudingly accepted if he had posted a decent score, but DeChambeau instead hit four-over-par in the first round to finish at +4. In the lead-up to the tournament, DeChambeau told the world that he wasn’t operating at 100 per cent fitness after battling hand and hip injuries throughout the year.

Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka headlined the list of golfers to miss out on a weekend tee time at the 2022 Masters.

He was still on the cut line heading to 18, where he found the fairway bunker, took four shots to reach the green and settled for a double-bogey 6. Surprising because he made just one birdie in two days. It was another altogether when he started hot with an opening two-under 34 on his first nine before playing the next 27 holes in eight over par, including three bogeys in his final five holes to miss the cut by two. That’s no exaggeration: Before this week Spieth had five top-3 finishes in eight Masters starts. Surprising because: He held the 36-hole lead here last year. This year he arrived injured; he suggested he was at 80 percent but that number was likely optimistic. Surprising because: Oosthuizen belongs in a slightly different category because he withdrew due to injury. What he shot: 76-76 (+8) Like Langer, Couples won a Masters in the early 90s. Surprising because: Like Langer, Couples is in his 60s. What he shot: 76-76 (+8) Here are 10 surprising pros who missed the cut, ranked in ascending order of just how surprised we’ll be to miss them this week.

DeChambeau, who has been battling hand and hip injuries for the past few months, was among the biggest names who missed the cut at the 86th Masters on Friday.

"I'm probably around 80% right now," he said. "I'm trying, but it may not be the smartest thing." Koepka, a four-time major champion, missed the cut in each of his last two Masters appearances.

The cutline fell at 4 over par at Augusta National and 52 players will play the weekend. Scottie Scheffler leads at 8 under par.

2:20 p.m.: Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na 2:50 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Charl Schwartzel 1:20 p.m.: Matthew Fitzpatrick, J. J. Spaun 2:10 p.m.: Cameron Smith, Corey Conners 2 p.m.: Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris 1 p.m.: Kevin Kisner, Tiger Woods 1:40 p.m.: Justin Thomas, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1:10 p.m.: Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay 12:50 p.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Lee Westwood 12:30 p.m.: Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm 12:20 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka 12:10 p.m.: Hudson Swafford, Harry Higgs

Tiger Woods kept his cut streak intact, Dustin Johnson looks to win two out of three and the 11th hole was a terror.

A five-birdie, two-bogey 69, however, left Schwartzel knotted for second place with three others at the halfway point, a position after 36 holes that Schwartzel has not come close to occupying in his Masters career, even in the year he won. Since the turn of the century, the 11th hole at Augusta National has proven to be one of the more difficult holes at the Masters, often ranking either as the first or second hardest. But Woods’ two-over-par 74 was good enough to make the cut—s omething that Woods has done for 22 consecutive starts, which is all of his appearanceas as a pro. One of the oddities of the Masters is the number of champions who won their first Masters, failed to defend, then won their second green jacket the following year. The trend dates back to the earliest days of the tournament when Horton Smith won the inaugural in 1934, then again in 1936. But there was plenty of other action to take in producing some facts and figures that interested or outright wowed us.