The Masters 2023: second and third round – live

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Trouble for Cam Young on 13. He sends a huge slice into the woods down the right. Then, in whipping back out, his back foot slips and he sends his second into the filth on the other side. He drops and smacks a provisional into the fairway, but his caddie finds the first one on the wrong side of Rae’s Creek and so they take an unplayable. Young drops and sends his fourth just off the green to the left. He’ll have an outside chance of salvaging par from 30 feet.

Exit Larry Mize

There was no fairytale final putt for 1988 champion Sandy Lyle; there isn’t one for 1987 winner Larry Mize, either. A short one missed on 18 leads to a double bogey finish and a second round of 80 to go with Thursday’s 79. He’s +15. But who really cares? Augusta born and bred, Mize will always have that chip on 11, and his play-off victory saw off two genuine greats in Seve and Greg Norman. No mean feat. The local hero gets the warm reception he deserves … and gets a hug from Sandy Lyle, who has hung around to bid his old pal farewell. Lucky it’s raining, huh?

JT’s playing partners Cameron Young and Jon Rahm are doing much better. Both birdie 12. It moves the big Spaniard to within two strokes of leader Brooks Koepka; meanwhile that’s Young’s third birdie in five holes and the Match Play runner-up is suddenly right back in the mix.

-12: Koepka (F)
-10: Rahm (12)
-8: Bennett -a- (F)
-7: Young (12)
-6: Morikawa (F), Hovland (13)

It’s just not happening for the reigning PGA champion Justin Thomas, one of the pre-tournament favourites. He’d carded a decent opening round of 70, but his second round is going a sour way out at an unpleasantly fast speed. He finds the water guarding the 11th green en route to a double bogey, then fails to get up and down from the back of 12. Another dropped shot, and suddenly he’s three over for his round and +1 overall.

Sandy Lyle speaks to Sky. “The 18th hole is a lot different to when I played it in 1988 … you could reach the bunkers off the tee, now I can’t get within 60 yards! … the whole course has changed an awful lot … but good memories of those times … the two guys I played with [Talor Gooch and Jason Kokrak] were brilliant and allowed me to go off the 18th tee first, which was nice … they gave me the honour … we got a round of applause when we got to the green … unfortunately we couldn’t finish the job off yesterday, which would have been quite nice … then this morning I got ready for my ten-foot putt … I hit a lousy putt, it was terrible! … I thought I might be very emotional going up 18 but I was prepared for it very well … it was good, it was nice, but I’m in no rush to come back and play here again because off the ladies tee would be my limit right now … I’m not long enough … playing with the big boys yesterday, you realise time’s up … as time goes on you get more and more appreciative of winning the Masters … it never lets you down … the little things ... having ‘champion’ on the windshield of your car … having people who let you through and know the name … ‘good morning Mr Lyle, welcome back’ … all the little things make a huge difference.”

Another birdie for Xander Schauffele! The 2019 runner-up looks reinvigorated this morning. This one comes at 13, and he rises to -3, most of the damage suffered on the front nine yesterday repaired in short order. His playing partner Viktor Hovland meanwhile gets back the shot he dropped at 11 with birdie of his own. The third member of the group, Tiger Woods, has been parring his way round this morning, and remains hovering over the projected cutline at +2.

Freddie Couples makes the cut!

Fred Couples finishes bogey-bogey, but still signs for a 74. Factor in yesterday’s 71, and he’ll be here this weekend. At 63 years and six months, the 1992 champion becomes the oldest player to make the cut in Masters history. The record had previously been held by Bernhard Langer, who was 63 years and two months in 2020, and before that by Tommy Aaron, who was 63 years and one month in 2000. Sandy Lyle, for the record, bowed out today at the age of 65. Living legends all.

Before the hooter last night, Jon Rahm had crashed a long drive down the middle of 10, then sent a distinctly average second to the back of the green. Play was stopped before he could putt, and he’ll have spent all evening fretting about a treacherous 50-footer snaking back down the green. No need, because he guides his putt up to kick-in distance to secure his par. He moves on towards Amen Corner at -9. Meanwhile a birdie for Sahith Theegala at the par-five 15th, and the 24-year-old Californian, who is putting together a very tidy round, moves to -4.

Not the ideal start for Viktor Hovland, whose short par putt on 11 lips out. He drops to -5 before parring the short par-three 12th. His playing partner Xander Schauffele rolls in a 15-footer for birdie on 12, though, and moves back to -2. The 29-year-old from San Diego will have been one of the few players happy to hear the hooter yesterday evening, as he was dropping back into the pack at pace, having doubled 3, then dropped another stroke at 5. But the salvage operation begins here.

Exit Sandy Lyle

The 1988 winner said his goodbyes properly last night, when play was halted before he could putt out on 18 for the final time in his career. He knew there wouldn’t be too many patrons around at the resumption on this dreich morning. But the Is need dotting and the Ts crossing, so he’s back to finish his round. Two putts from the fringe, and he takes his leave of Augusta National as a competitor with a bogey. An 83 to go with his first round of 81 and he’s +20. But he’ll always have that bunker shot, that snaking putt, that celebratory jig. Thanks for everything, Sandy. It’s been special.

The weather. Wet. Windy. Cold. Conditions will be tough. The course will play long. On the flip side, it’s been raining all night, so the greens will be a little more receptive. A different course altogether. In the clubhouse, Brooks Koepka, Sam Bennett and Collin Morikawa are cackling, their feet up by the fireside, sucking down those metaphorical cigars. Brollies at the ready, folks!

Preamble

Welcome to the third day of the 2023 Masters. Yesterday a storm came to Augusta National, so we still haven’t completed the second round. Play is due to restart at 8am local time, 1pm in the devalued UK coin. Here’s what happened yesterday …

… and here’s where we’re at right now. All patrons safe and well, thankfully, so let’s get going. It’s on!

-12: Koepka (F)
-9: Rahm (9)
-8: Bennett -a- (F)
-6: Morikawa (F), Hovland (10)
-5: Day (F), Burns (F), Spieth (F), Young (9)
-4: Woodland (F), Mickelson (F), Niemann (F), Rose (F), Henley (17), Reed (14), Lowry (13), Scott (10)
-3: KH Lee (F), Fox (F), Kirk (12), Matsuyama (8)