35 miles into Augusta…Clark and Hovlan Top Ranker Unsusu
At the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the U.S. on Tuesday (Korea time), strong winds swept the green while “emperor” Tiger Woods was preparing for a 1.5-meter par putt. Bunker sand flew from the left to the right and it seemed as if the sandstorm was hitting the 18th hole. 토토
Patrons who were watching Woods play around the hole held their hats tightly to prevent them from flying, while some female patrons even faltered due to their balance being shaken. Woods, who was preparing his putt, also turned his head to avoid the incoming sand. The biggest risk for Woods to make a par putt here and set a record for the most Masters cuts ever.
The Masters Tournament, this year’s first major championship, set a record of highest level of difficulty thanks to strong winds for two consecutive days. Giant trees across the mountainous terrain and courses, which are rare in the U.S., strictly test candidates who are challenging the Augusta National Golf Club. However, winds were the factor that bothered the players the most in the first and second rounds of the championship.
On the same day, Augusta National Golf Club had winds of 15 to 20 mph and instantaneous maximum speed of 35 mph. In the first round on the previous day, strong winds blew from the afternoon, but in the second round, the wind poured into the course throughout the game. Ahn Byung-hoon, who finished the game tied for 8th with one over par with three birdies and four bogeys on the day, said, “The wind was so strong that my hat moved.” Shane Lowry, who passed the cut with one over par on the day, also said, “Today was so difficult that I felt like I would have gone through 12 rounds, not the second round.”
This level of strong wind sharply raises the difficulty of players targeting the course. From tee shots to wedges and putts, all shots are affected by the wind. A player who reads the wind well and uses firm shots can reduce variables caused by the wind, but if he lets his guard down even a little, he can instantly lose the number of strokes.
Strong winds dry up the green, making it harder and faster. As the green becomes hard and does not accept the ball, it becomes difficult to match the distance, and the ball often moves unintentionally depending on the wind. This is why many players lost their pars in putting on the day.
As a result, most of the players had difficulty managing their scores. In the second round, Rudvik Aubrey (Sweden. 3 under par) was the only player in his 60s who played under par, and only eight players played under par. The average score in the second round was 75.079 pars. In other words, he lost more than three pars on average through the match.
As most of the players lost a large number of pars, the criterion for passing the cut was a 6-over-150 in interim tally. This is the highest score for passing the cut since 2017. The highest criterion for passing the cut in history was 154 in 1982.
Due to strong winds, unexpected events occurred one after another. Top rankers including previous Masters winners knelt down in battle with the wind one after another, failing to pass the cut. Dustin Johnson (winner of the U.S. in 2020) and Jordan Spieth (winner of the U.S. in 2015) were eliminated by 13-over-par and 9-over-par, respectively, while Wyndham Clark (ranked fourth in the U.S. world) and Brian Harmon (ranked eighth in the world) were also hit by strong winds of 7-over-par and 9-over-par, respectively. Viktor Hovlan (Norway), ranking sixth in the world, lost nine pars on the day alone, destroying himself, and Lim Sung-jae, a flagship player in Korean men’s golf, failed to advance to the finals by one stroke due to 7-over-par.
Players who saved pars by banking on their robust shots were listed at the top of the list. World No. 1 Scheffler continued to play even par on the day and is tying for the lead in the third round. Woods also showed off his robust performance by hitting even par despite strong winds.