Justin Rose stays in the Masters
lead with some all-star company
[April 12, 2025]
By DOUG FERGUSON
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The end of a long Friday that reshaped the
Masters had Scottie Scheffler sitting in the pine straw under a
magnolia tree left of the 18th fairway, waiting for a rules official
but looking very much like someone who simply needed to catch his
breath.
Rest up for a weekend at Augusta National that doesn't figure to
lack for drama.
It starts with Justin Rose, who did just enough in his round of
1-under 71 to be the 36-hole leader for the third time in his career
as the 44-year-old from England tries to become the second-oldest
Masters champion behind Jack Nicklaus (46).
The leading role returns to Rory McIlroy, who came to life with a
birdie-birdie-par-eagle start to the back nine. Maybe that's where
his Masters started, because he roared into contention with a
bogey-free 66 that renewed hopes of a green jacket to complete the
career Grand Slam.
U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau might have learned to putt the
Augusta National greens, a scary proposition for someone who already
knows how to bash the golf ball. He shot 68 and was a shot behind
Rose in his best start ever at the Masters.
And Scheffler?
The defending Masters champion did his best to survive the worst of
the conditions, mainly wind that caused a little discomfort and a
lot of uncertainty. He made five bogeys over his last 12 holes, the
last one by going from under the magnolia, back to the fairway, over
the green and then hitting a superb chip to limit the damage.
All that and he was only three behind after a 71.
“We’ve got a great golf course, conditions should be really good,
challenging, and we’ve got some great guys on top of the leaderboard,”
Scheffler said. “So it should be a fun weekend.”
Indeed.
Sixteen players were separated by five shots at the halfway point,
nine of them major champions, three of them with experience winning
at Augusta National.
“The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like
world-class players right up there,” Rose said after a round that
featured birdies on the par 5s on the front nine and on the par 3s
on the back nine.
Rose took a three-shot lead into the second round and had the
advantage of playing early, before the wind became strong enough to
make flags snap and create just enough indecision. He hit a 9-iron
over Rae's Creek to 4 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th, and he
stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 16th for another birdie. That
allowed him to atone for a few mistakes.
He was at 8-under 136, the third time he has had the 36-hole lead at
the Masters.
The buzz came from behind him.
DeChambeau picked up an unlikely birdie by holing a bunker shot on
the par-3 fourth hole on his way to a 32 on the front nine that kept
him on Rose's heels the rest of the way.
“This is what golf is about,” DeChambeau said. “Got a lot of great
names up there, and looking forward to an unbelievable test of
golf.”
And then there was McIlroy, who had two double bogeys over the last
four holes Thursday, the latest frustrating chapter for him at the
Masters. This time, he managed to forget about it and move on. He
went birdie-birdie-par-eagle to start the back nine and was on his
way to a bogey-free 66.
[to top of second column] |
Justin Rose celebrates on the 17th hole during the second round at
the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“I had to remind myself I was playing well,”
McIlroy said. “I couldn’t let two bad holes dictate the narrative of
the 16 good ones. I also had to remind myself this morning not to
push too hard too early.”
Corey Conners of Canada quietly put together a 70 and joined McIlroy
at 6-under 138.
The group three shots back included Scheffler (71), former British
Open champion Shane Lowry (68) and Tyrrell Hatton, who got within
one shot of Rose until a pair of three-putts. One of them did a
U-turn down the hill at the 16th. The other was a sleepy tap-in that
lipped out.
It shapes up for a wide-open weekend, led by a 44-year-old from
England who has gone a dozen years since winning his only major at
the 2013 U.S. Open. Rose spoke last year about finding another
stretch of magic in his career, and opportunity awaits.
"This is nice to be back in that mix.”
McIlroy was thrilled, too. There was plenty of temptation to come
out firing, but that's what he did in 2023 when he played Friday
afternoon and saw he faced a 10-shot deficit. He tried to charge and
wound up charging right out of the parking lot after missing the
cut.
This time, he played the front nine with one birdie and eight pars.
But he came to life quickly, stuffing a three-quarter 8-iron to a
foot on No. 10 and a similar play with a 9-iron to about 4 feet on
No. 11. Best of all was hitting 4-iron off the pine straw on the
par-5 13th that narrowly cleared the tributary of Rae's Creek and
set up a 10-foot eagle.
“Things sort of clicked into gear on the back nine,” McIlroy said.
Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton faced the worst of the wind.
Scheffler's tee shot on the par-3 12th sailed into the azaleas over
the green, bounced out and he chipped in for birdie. He played with
limited stress one day, and it felt like chaos the next.
“Golf is a funny game. It’s a day-to-day thing. Yesterday I felt
really sharp. Today not as sharp," Scheffler said. “Could the
conditions have contributed to that? I’m sure a little bit. It was
definitely much harder to hit the ball where you were looking today
just because the wind was blowing from everywhere.”
The cut was at 2-over 146, marking the end of 67-year-old Bernhard
Langer's career at the Masters. He needed to make a 10-foot par putt
on the last hole, only for it to tickle the right side of the cup.
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka might have had the most
shocking departure. He was in good shape, needing a bogey on the
18th. He made a quadruple bogey, starting with a tee shot into the
trees and ending with a three-putt from 10 feet.
Now the attentions shifts back to the top.
“You’re going to have to play great golf, and you’re going to have
to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it,” Rose
said. “It’s as simple as that, really.”
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