A tradition unlike any other continues Friday with Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm sharing the top spot on the leaderboard entering the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. At the moment, Koepka is carrying the flag for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, struggled to a 2-over 74, putting him nine strokes off the pace. Woods is bidding for his sixth Masters title.
The weather could play a major factor in the tournament moving forward. According to AccuWeather, there is a 96% chance of precipitation on Friday and 98% chance on Saturday in Augusta, Georgia.
TEE TIMES: Pairings for Friday’s first round
What time does Tiger Woods tee off today?
Tiger Woods tees off his second round at 12:54 p.m. ET alongside two players at the top of the leaderboard after Thursday’s first round.
Live Leaderboard: Latest Masters Tournament Scores, Schedules, Pairings and more
Co-leader Viktor Hovland is tied with Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka at 7-under par. Xander Schauffele is tied for sixth at 4-under par.
Woods, meanwhile, is tied for 54th at 2-over-par entering the day.
Jason Day making a charge, Brooks Koepka now at 10-under
After making par on the first hole, Day has surged into a tie for second with two straight birdies on No. 2 and 3. Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm are also at 7-under but will take the course Friday afternoon when it is expected that the weather will start to take a turn for the worst. Justin Rose and Zach Johnson are among 12 players that have played under par in the early portion of the second round.
Koepka has had his way with Par 5’s in the second round, making an eagle on the Par 5 No. 10 and now is three shots clear of the second place golfers.
Koepka increases lead
Brooks Koepka is trying to make sure he is among the leaders before the expected weather hits, which is sure to make things difficult for players who are teeing off later. Koepka saved par on three of the first four holes and took advantage of the par-5 second hole by making birdie to take the outright lead.
Others who have teed off in the second round include Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland and Jason Day.
Co-leader Brooks Koepka tees off in second round
Koepka had the lead at 7-under with two others, one of 14 rounds of a major he has led since 2017. He had eight birdies, nine par, and one bogey during his first round. He started his second round with one of the earlier tee times and settled for par on the first hole to remain at 7-under.
The weather is not expected to be pleasant Friday afternoon, so officials have bumped tee times up 30 minutes. Jose María Olazabal and Cameron Champ will get the second round started at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Here’s the complete list of tee times for Friday’s second round.
There were 18 LIV golfers in the 2023 Masters field, six of whom have previously won a Green Jacket.
Here are those golfers and how they fared during the first round:
Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010 Masters champion) — 1 under, tied for 26th
Bubba Watson (2012, 2014 champ) — 5 over, tied for 78th
Dustin Johnson (2020 champ) — 1 under, tied for 26th
Patrick Reed (2018 champ) — 1 under, tied for 26th
Sergio Garcia (2017 champ) — 2 over, tied for 54th
Charl Schwartzel (2011 champ) — 2 over, tied for 54th
Brooks Koepka — 7 under, tied for lead
Bryson DeChambeau — 2 over, tied for 54th
Cameron Smith — 2 under, tied for 17th
Louis Oosthuizen — 4 over, tied for 73rd
Mito Pereira — 2 over, tied for 54th
Joaquin Niemann — 1 under, tied for 26th
Kevin Na — withdrew after nine holes due to illness
Abraham Ancer — even par, tied for 37th
Thomas Pieters — 2 over, tied for 54th
Harold Varner III — even par, tied for 37th
Jason Kokrak — 1 over, tied for 45th
Talor Gooch — even par, tied for 37th
While the PGA Tour considers the Masters an official event, the field is determined by the Augusta National Golf Club and is by invitation only. That means LIV golfers can compete in the tournament.
The Masters will pare down the field after Friday’s second round, with the low 50 players and ties qualifying for the final 36 holes.
Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most Masters cuts made with 37, followed by Fred Couples and Gary Player who each made the cut 30 times.
— Fletcher Page, Augusta Chronicle