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Paolo Uggetti, ESPN
AUGUSTA, Ga. — World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler, LIV Golf’s Max Homma and Bryson DeChambeau hold a share of the 2024 Masters lead after the first two rounds at Augusta National Golf Club.
This tournament featured just 14 under par as high winds confused some of the world’s best players over 36 holes. DeChambeau, who held the 7-under lead before Friday, shot a 73 – 8 strokes worse than his first round – but managed to stay atop the leaderboard heading into Saturday.
“I’m very excited,” DeChambeau said. “I’m getting a chance to show my skill set and hopefully it’s good enough to do something special this weekend. I feel like the game is in a great place. The attitude is in a stable place. Caddy keeps me under control. I’m joking around there, having fun in some tough conditions, so I feel like it’s all coming together pretty well.”
In order to wear a green jacket, DeChambeau will have to fight off 2022 Masters champion Scheffler, who has already won twice this season and was the favorite heading into the week. Scheffler began the second round 1 stroke behind DeChambeau’s first-round lead and shot an even-par 72 on Friday after facing brutal wind conditions during his late afternoon round.
“It’s so hard when you can’t tell where the wind is coming from,” Scheffler said. “You can only make an educated guess and try to go from there. Everything there is extremely difficult when it’s so windy, so I was definitely pleased to come in there on even terms.”
Homa, whose best finish at Augusta was a tie for 43rd last year, looked comfortable in the conditions, recording one of the few rounds under par on Friday. He also excelled in tough conditions at last year’s Open Championship, where he finished tied for 10th – his best finish at a major. On Friday, Homa said the wind forced him to be patient to keep pace with Scheffler and DeChambeau.
“I really did pretty well on the golf course,” Homa said. “But most proud of what happened with our course management and just controlling thoughts and expectations and all that. So it was fun.”
“He’s got all the talent in the world,” Tiger Woods said of Homa, his playing partner for the first two rounds. “I got a chance to play him at the St Andrews Open and his ball flight, as solid as he is hitting it, it’s only a matter of time before he starts winning in bunches. I saw him in front; he really doesn’t make any mistakes. It’s something you just have to do around this golf course.”
The last time three players representing the United States were tied for the 36-hole lead in a major was the 2012 PGA Championship, when Woods, David Toms and Jim Furyk shared the lead.
Dane Nicolai Højgaard dropped as far as 3-under and climbed to 6-under during his Friday round, but in the end the 2023 Ryder Cup member shot a 1-over 73 to settle at 4-under, good enough for fourth place.
Two-time major winner Colin Morikawa has two top-10 finishes at the Masters in the past two years and has a shot at another after a 2-under round of 70. Aside from Homa, Morikawa is the only other player to shoot par rounds twice.
Australia’s Cam Davies has played in just one more Masters in 2022, when he finished tied for 46th. This time, Davis quietly fired one round under par and another under par on Friday to sit just 3 back of the leaders. Sweden’s Ludwig Oberg is a first-timer at Augusta, and after a first-round 73, he shot the lowest round of the day (69) on Friday and jumped to 2-under and seventh at the end of the weekend.
