+Storm was announced and there was a storm. The second day of the Augusta Masters was interrupted this Friday in its afternoon shift due to unfavorable weather. It was a brief trigger in principle, the shortest in history. Not even 20 minutes were the players evacuated from the field, including Jon Rahm who this time was one of the last to leave. The native from Biscay was at par before that first suspension and scored two birdies between the initial honk and the second, the final one. He lay down second with -2 for -9 after the first nine holes. A weekend ahead in a climate that he knows very well from his childhood in Barrika, in his sauce. The game will resume this Saturday at 13:30.
Still in fits and starts, Rahm remained in the lead car on a day when he shone early Brooks Koepka, banner of the LIVwho for the first time in a long time is really healthy and exhibits in Georgia (USA) the ‘cyborg mode’ with which he won four majors (two US Open and two PGA) between 2017 and 2019. In his last appearance before the Masters in the Saudi super league, in Orlando, his native Florida, he took his first win since 2021 and after 36 holes of the Masters he shows an impressive -12, cards of 65 and 67 strokes through. One bogey on Thursday and none yesterday. He leads the clubhouse with the feeling that this Saturday the appointment can become a one-on-one between him and Rahm.
Behind the two thoroughbreds stood out Sam Bennett, the sensation of this edition. Champion of the US Open Amateur in 2022, he already made the cut that same year. He has thrown 68 shots (-8) two days in a row in his first contact with Augusta and has given himself an unbeatable opportunity to be the first amateur champion of the tournament. In the unlikely event that he succeeds, he would not collect the 2.7 million dollars (2.4 euros) reserved for the winner, since his non-professional condition prevents it.
Sergio GarcÃa, on the verge of KO
He will hardly play the last two rounds Sergio Garcia, who on Thursday was recognized as mentally disordered and who shot +3 to +5 in 14 holes. Insufficient with the cut projected at +2. DeChambeau (+4), McIlroy (+5), Willett (+6), Oosthuizen (+3 for +7 in 17 holes) and, among the veterans, Langer (+5), Olazábal (+10) will surely be left out. , Larry Mize (+5 to +12 in 16) and Sandy Lyle (+10 to +19 in 17), the latter two in their farewell year. A pleasant surprise in this last chapter is that of Freddie Couples, one of the most elegant swings in history, who gave himself 36 more holes at the age of 63 with a +1 for par after 17.
On the way to it was Tiger Woods, par for +2 in 11. Another dry braking due to inclement weather that came to cause the fall of several trees on areas close to the public. There were no injuries to regret, but a delay that, if this Saturday is as ugly as it appears, may end up leading to an outcome postponed to Monday. Something that has only happened five times since the Masters began to be held in 1934. Wink to Rahm: the last time, the champion was Seve.