Friday notes from Augusta:
John Senden certainly won’t be happy with his third missed cut from as many attempts at The Masters but he didn’t get the luck of the draw. Paired with notoriously slow player Jonathan Byrd, Senden was constantly waiting and out of rhythm during the first round. Byrd was so slow that the group in front with Kevin Na and Ben Crane, two other players known for glacial pace were never an issue. However in round two Na and Crane were back to their ‘best’. Before finishing two holes they were already a complete hole behind pace, forcing Senden to spend plenty of time standing around getting cold.
One man who saw first hand how slow play was around Senden was his coach Ian Triggs. Triggs, who also coaches Karrie Webb, is an advocate of speeding up play and thinks it’s time for the world tours to act. “The game needs to get back to four hour rounds,” Triggs said.
“It’s killing the game by taking so long and it filters into all levels.
“Perhaps they need to give groups a time they must finish by – and if they don’t – they all get a two stroke penalty.”
Triggs recalled once playing 36 holes in four hours as a youngster, with his first 18 coming in at five-under-par.
Senden has a healthy support group of friends and family in Augusta but the crew missed his terrible triple bogey start in the second round. Why? They were all in the Masters merchandise tent loading up on countless presents for folks back home.
Young Aussie Bryden Macpherson was unable to make the cut in his first Masters, his last event as an amateur, but he had fun regardless. Macpherson shot 77-76 to be nine over par, four too many to play the weekend. Macpherson is a star on the rise and has plenty of character. Following his round he tweeted: Had an amazing week at the masters. Didn’t score to plan but showed myself I’m close! Amateur career done. Bring on the Pro’s! #moneytime. He is due to start his PGA Tour career at The Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus in late May.
Aaron Baddeley wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Fred Couples atop the Masters leaderboard. Last November the 52-year-old Couples was zooming around Royal Melbourne in a golf cart as the American captain in the President’s Cup and now he was showing the world’s best the way in a major.
“It doesn’t surprise me to be honest,” Baddeley said. “I played down the stretch in LA with Freddie in 2011 and I remember a couple years ago we played at Houston the week before the Masters, and he was playing awesome.
“I told him when he finished the round, I said, you’re playing good enough to win next week, and he finished like fourth.”
Co-leader Fred Couples (52 years, 6 months, 5 days on Sunday) would become the oldest winner of a major championship if he were to win the green jacket for the second time. He would break the record set by Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at the age of 48 years, 4 months and 18 days. The oldest player to win the Masters is Jack Nicklaus (1986), at the age of 46 years, 2 months, 23 days. Sam Snead is the oldest winner in USPGA TOUR history at age 52 years, 10 months, 8 days (1965 Greater Greensboro Open). Couples would be the second oldest winner if he were to win the Masters this week. Couples is now the oldest second-round leader in Masters history. The previous record was held by Lee Trevino in 1989 at age 49. Couples is making his 28th appearance at the Masters, with a win in 1992 among his 11 top-10 finishes and 26 made cuts (counting 2012). He is trying to join Sam Snead and Raymond Floyd as the only players in PGA TOUR history to win in four different decades.
Tiger Woods lost his swing and his temper on the way to a three over 75 on Friday. Constantly seen cursing under his breath following poor shots the 14-time major champion took it one step further after a poor shot on the par three 16th, throwing his club then kicking it. Former Masters champion Nick Faldo said in commentary. “I think we can officially say Tiger has lost his game, and his mind right now.” One wonders what caddie Joe LaCava must think. A veteran who held Fred Couples’ bag for years could have been with the midway leader, one of the calmest individuals in golf, instead of trying to manage temper tantrums.