Masters Live Updates | Amateur Bennett moves into 2nd place
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Live updates from the second round Friday of the Masters (all times local):
2:10 p.m.
Sam Bennett is showing no signs of fading under the bright lights of the Masters.
The amateur from Madisonville, Texas is actually moving up the leaderboard at Augusta National.
He has put together back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th holes to move into second place at 8 under through 32 holes, four shots behind clubhouse leader Brooks Koepka.
The 23-year-old Bennett is flirting with the Masters’ 36-hole amateur record of 9 under set by Ken Venturi in 1956. He has four holes left to play in round two.
Bennett opened with a first round 68 on Thursday and has continued to stay hot with five birdies and one bogey so far on Day 2. The Texas A&M star has shown impressive accuracy, hitting 92% of his fairways (23 of 25).
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1:20 p.m.
Brooks Koepka took advantage of the early prime playing conditions at Augusta National, shooting a bogey-free round of 67 to move to 12-under for the tournament, five shots ahead of the rest of the field.
Several golfers still have yet to tee off, including first round co-leader Jon Rahm, who is 7 under. The other first round leader, Viktor Hovland just got underway.
But they will have some work to do to catch Koepka, who played particularly well on the par 5s. He was 5 under on those four holes and even par on the rest of the course.
Koepka has won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship twice but is zeroing in on a first Masters win after finishing second here in 2019. He shot 65 on Thursday to tie for the first round lead and has only one bogey in 36 holes.
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12:55 p.m.
Tiger Woods is set to take the course at Augusta National for his second round, looking to extend his 22-year streak of making the cut. The five-time champion has never missed the cut at the Masters as a professional.
Woods shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday, which left him nine shots behind leader Brooks Koepka.
By the time he tees off, he could be 14 shots back with Koepka surging up the leaderboard.
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12:30 p.m.
Rory McIlroy is in danger of being sent home from the Masters before the weekend.
Hardly what anyone expected from one of the favorites for the green jacket.
McIlroy has stunningly bogeyed four of the first seven holes in the second round, on a day when many players are taking advantage of favorable scoring conditions before a storm front moves in at Augusta National.
McIlroy is at 4 over for the tournament, a staggering 16 strokes behind leader Brooks Koepka.
Koepka, a four-time major champion who now plays on the upstart LIV Golf tour, is four shots ahead of the field after a birdie at th par-5 15th pushed his score to 12 under.
Jason Day is the closest challenger.
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11:55 a.m.
Brooks Koepka is now four strokes ahead in the second round of the Masters.
Koepka made a short birdie putt at the par-5 13th hole after skipping his second shot through the green. He two-putted from the fringe, pushing his score for the tournament to 11 under.
The 36-hole record is a 14-under 130, set by Jordan Spieth in 2015 on his way to the green jacket.
Koepka, a four-time major champion and one of the most prominent players from the upstart LIV Golf Tour, is looking to score a huge victory for the Saudi-backed league.
The Masters is the first major clash between the established PGA Tour and LIV, which has 17 of its players remaining in the field after Kevin Na withdrew.
Koepka began the day tied at 7 under with Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Spain Jon Rahm, who both have afternoon tee times. Australian Jason Day has also moved to 7 under as he makes the turn.
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11:05 a.m.
Brooks Koepka is putting some distance on the Masters field, making the turn at 3 under for the day and 10 under overall.
The 2019 runner-up, who’s now one of the highest-profile players on the breakaway LIV Golf tour, made an eagle at the par-5 eighth hole to extend his lead to three shots.
Koepka began the day tied with Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Spain’s Jon Rahm, who both have afternoon tee times.
Jason Day is also on the move. The Aussie is 2 under for the round after seven holes, giving him a 7-under total that pushed him even with Hovland and Rahm for the second spot on the leaderboard.
No one else is closer than five strokes behind Koepka.
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10 a.m.
Brooks Koepka was among the early starters for the second round of the Masters, and a birdie at the par-5 second and a couple of nice par saves moved him ahead of first-round co-leaders Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm.
Kopeka, who finished one shot behind winner Tiger Woods in 2019, is setting the pace for the contingent from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit. But the most well-known defector from the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, also opened solidly with 71 and added a birdie at the first Friday to reach 2 under for the championship.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler began the day at 4 under. He’s in a group with U.S. Amateur champ Sam Bennett, who was also 4 under, and the only one of the seven amateurs to break par.
Augusta National produced plenty of red numbers Thursday, but more challenging hole locations have made the course play harder for the second round. And that’s before wind and rain that is expected to arrive later Friday.
Hovland and Rahm could get the brunt of that weather. Both are in the final four groups of the day.
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7:30 a.m.
The second round of the Masters is underway, with tee times shifted up a half-hour because of an approaching storm front.
The potential for heavy rainfall and much colder temperatures heading into the weekend is a big topic of discussion among players wondering how it will affect conditions at Augusta National.
The opening round was played on a balmy spring day with temperatures climbing to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius).
Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland are tied for the lead after shooting 7-under 65s.
It should be another warm day for the second round, but temperatures will plummet as the rain moves in. The high Saturday is only expected to reach 52 degrees (11 degrees Celsius).
Keep an eye on Tigers Woods, who has never missed the Masters cut as a professional. He struggled to a 74 in the opening round and can’t afford another bad round if he hopes to make his 23rd consecutive cut.
If he does, it would tie the tournament record shared by Gary Player and Fred Couples.
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