2018 Masters coverage, highlights: Jordan Spieth holds off tough fight, tops major winners leaderboard

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Jordan Spieth played the first two holes of his second round exactly the way I played them Monday in the media lottery round following the 2017 Masters. Related: Jordan Spieth no longer on top heading into the 2018 Masters He shot a 2-over 74 and fell into a tie for fourth. rory mcilroy After 36 holes.

Spieth came into Friday’s round with a two-stroke lead at 6 under, but made a double and bogey on the first two holes. He blew his tee shot to the right on No. 1 and didn’t reach the green until his fourth shot (it happens there!). Then, he pulled his tee shot too far left on No. 2 and basically played the entire hole in the left-hand corridor before making bogey. Puff, the lead was gone.

But I saw something in his walk from the first green to the second tee that confirmed what I already believed to be true about Spieth: No one in golf is better at looking beyond the minutiae and seeing the big picture. No one is better at understanding the rhythm of a 72-hole event.

“I think that will happen many times, if not right from the start.” [Friday] “I will no longer be leading this tournament,” Spieth said Thursday. “Things happen in this game, and I’ll try to control what I can control, and that’s it.”

The thought proved prophetic. I pondered it as he walked from No. 1 to No. 2 and looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. Caddie Michael Greller was walking well ahead of him, and Spieth’s mind was certainly spinning. But he was still giving a young patron a high-five and looking thoughtful, if not calm. I had no doubt he would come back home and perform something spectacular because that’s what Jordan Spieth does at the Masters.

“I’ve taken a lot of punches on this golf course and in tournaments in general,” Spieth said. “I told Michael, ‘Look, when this course is tough, I’m good for a double or a couple of bogeys here. Let’s make those the only ones.’ He was really good about saying, ‘Man, you always take the punches here and come back stronger.’ That’s kind of what he was saying.”

It was the least surprising conversation I’ve heard from anyone all week. Spieth’s lead evaporated in just 30 minutes on the course, but he mentally prepared himself and weathered the storm.

After going out in 40 (!), Spieth came home in 34 with a 2-over 74 that left him just five points behind Patrick Reed’s lead at 9-under. Spieth made birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 (as he should) and made no bogeys beyond No. 7. If Thursday’s 66 represented Spieth at his best, Friday’s 74 represented him at his best.

“What does the first two holes on Friday mean?” Spieth was asked in his press conference before answering, “It doesn’t mean much to me. It means let’s figure out what was wrong and fix it, but it’s not going to affect the outcome of this tournament in any way from those two holes. I’m still in good shape.”

He knew it when he reached No. 2. He knew it when he came home after shooting 34. He knows it now. The tournament may not be running through Spieth now, but you can bet his name will be one of the first to be seen when you look at the leader board on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are nine more thoughts on Round 2.

1. Marc Leishman Best Shot of the Tournament: Leishman finds himself in second place after two rounds after starting at 7-under 137, and he hit the best shot of the tournament so far on Friday. After pulling a drive slightly to the left on the par-5 15th, Leishman swung his second shot around some trees, caught it on the far right side of the green and rolled it perfectly to the left near the pin — 6 feet for eagle. Unbelievable.

2. Augusta hits back: I went early Friday morning, and no one was scoring. I mean no one (OK, Reed was scoring, but no one else). Rory McIlroy said Thursday that he thought Augusta National kept the subair on “all night” and that the course was playing five shots harder than last week when he played some practice rounds. The scoring averages reflected that. Friday’s Round 2 average was a little higher at 74.5, meaning Reed’s 66 was nine (!) better than the field.

3. Chase the major champion: With Reed at the top of the leaderboard and Leishman right behind him, we have eight (!) former major winners in the top 10 (McIlroy, Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Justin ThomasBubba Watson, Henrik StensonLouise Oosthuizen and Justin Rose) However, only one of them (Stenson) is within four strokes of the lead, which is where 17 of the last 19 champions have been after 36 holes.

4. Please bring only large dogs: Check out the five best scores on Friday. A list of ball-striking legends. That’s what Augusta produces. Reed (66) and Leishman (67) lead the way, but after risky starts on Thursday, Dustin Johnson (68), Jon Rahm (68) and Justin Thomas (67) exploded late on Friday. They give the second half of the leaderboard everything it needs.

5. Mercy, Madman: Speaking of Rahm, I followed his group for a while this morning since they weren’t on special coverage. I saw him hit a poor bunker shot on No. 4 before hitting his wedge into the sand and throwing it at the bag, where it bounced toward the woods to the right. He kicked his bag well before picking it up. He then shot 68. He intimidates me in every way.

6. Phil Mickelson’s Struggle: Maybe we should have known this already. Lefty has only made the top 20 here once in the last five years. And while he has been great in general this year, he is certainly not what he used to be at Augusta National. Still, after a 70 in Round 1, I don’t expect a 79 in Round 2. He barely made the cut and is 14 behind the lead.

“It’s frustrating,” Mickelson said. “There’s a fine line between wanting it so badly and then letting it happen. As you get older, you feel a little bit more pressure every time because you don’t feel like you have an unlimited number of events. So considering how well I was playing this week, I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to perform this week and get it done because I know the opportunities are getting fewer and fewer. Especially considering how well I’ve been playing, I felt like it was a great year, a great opportunity.”

7. Doug Ghim made the cut: Not only did U.S. Amateur runner-up Ghim make two eagles in the first two rounds and birdie No. 12, but he also made the cut at 4 over and will be rated the low amateur because none of the other five Ams in the field made it to the weekend. “I’m assuming that not every Tour event feels so nerve-wracking,” Ghim said. “The way I handled myself gave me a lot of confidence. I felt like if anything, my attitude was really good these first two days. I could have very easily shot 78 yesterday, very easily shot 80 today, and stayed that way.”

8. Fred Couples Makes cuts: The 58-year-old former champion not only accomplished the feat, but he did so in what could be his last Masters. He trails only Jack Nicklaus in terms of cuts made, which is incredible. He has almost as many cuts as I have made around the sun.

9. Weather affecting the weekend: Saturday could be a circus at Augusta. Rain and wind are expected for most of the day, so it could be a long, tiring affair that could end with 30 or more holes for the leaders on Sunday. Of the guys at the top of the leaderboard, I think the bad weather is most favorable to Leishman, Spieth and Fowler. Guys like McIlroy, Johnson and Thomas would likely prefer to play all 36 on Sunday.