Streak ends for Scottie Scheffler as chances for third green jacket fade

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A notable streak got here to an abrupt finish for Scottie Scheffler on Friday on the ninetieth Masters.

The world No. 1 and two-time champion at Augusta National Golf Club began the week as a favourite to slide right into a third green jacket, and he did sufficient along with his opening-round 70 to stay in rivalry. But issues bought uncharacteristically wobbly for Scheffler within the second spherical, as he light to a 2-over 74 that dropped him again to even par for the week.

It’s simply the third time in 24 profession rounds at Augusta National that Scheffler has failed to interrupt par, and it snaps a run of 11 straight rounds of par or higher that dated again to the third spherical in 2023. It was the third-longest such streak in Masters historical past behind Tiger Woods (16 straight from 2007-2011) and Jon Rahm (15 straight from 2018-2021).

“Today I felt like I played a lot better than my score,” Scheffler stated. “I got off to a slow start. A few up-and-downs early that I should have had that I didn’t convert.”

Scheffler defined that the one shot he wished to hit once more could be his strategy to the par-5 thirteenth. With a dangling lie within the undulating fairway, he performed a 3-iron strategy anticipating it to attract towards the green. Instead, it frolicked to the proper and bounded right into a tributary of Rae’s Creek.

“Maybe a different decision there,” he admitted.

That strategy on No. 13 led to a bogey, as did a watery strategy to the par-5 fifteenth, which sailed over the green and bounded into the penalty space that guards the sixteenth gap. They have been two of 4 bogeys on the day for Scheffler, who was outdoors the highest 20 when he signed his scorecard.

“I would like to hole a few more putts. I felt like it was rolling nice today, but balls just weren’t dropping. Maybe my reads were a little bit off,” Scheffler stated. “It was frustrating to get back to Even, have a couple par-5s in front of me, and then not do many things I felt wrong and wasn’t able to convert really basically anything coming down the stretch.”

Scheffler will comfortably make the 36-hole lower, his seventh straight to start what has been a fruitful Masters profession. He’ll look to begin a brand new streak in crimson figures Saturday to rekindle chances for a comeback win – or not less than give himself an opportunity for a fifth straight top-10 end within the yr’s first main.

“You can’t force anything around this place,” Scheffler stated. “I definitely struck it well enough to have a really, really nice round today. So go get a bit of practice, get some rest and get ready for tomorrow.”