Jon Rahm looked to make a back-nine charge in pursuit of Brooks Koepka, who surged to a three-stroke lead in Friday’s storm-halted second round of the Masters.
Four-time major winner and LIV Golf rebel Koepka seized command with a sizzling five-under par 67 at Augusta National before a storm that uprooted three trees suspended play until Saturday.
Koepka torched the par-5 holes for an eagle and three birdies in a bogey-free tour. His superb shotmaking followed an opening 65, his lowest Masters round, and left him on 12-under 132 for 36 holes, three strokes in front of Rahm.
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Aussies have rough start in Round 2 | 01:27
“It was really solid. Didn’t really do too much wrong,” Koepka said.
“You’ve got to make birdies on these par 5s, take advantage of them, and did a good job of that.”
After winning last week’s LIV Golf event in Orlando, Koepka could produce the PGA Tour’s nightmare scenario of a victory on one of golf’s greatest stages by a player from the breakaway circuit.
But third-ranked Rahm, the 2021 US Open champion and a three-time PGA Tour winner this year, made a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-5 eighth and a 12-footer for birdie at the ninth before he was halted on the 10th green.
“I’m feeling confident,” Rahm said after his first round.
“Hopefully I can keep it going.”
The Spaniard was among 39 players still on the course when three trees were toppled by gusty winds near the 17th tee and officials stopped play.
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Augusta National said there were no injuries.
“The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters tournament will always be the top priority of the club,” a statement from Augusta National said.
“We will continue to closely monitor weather today and through the tournament.”
The weather though also spoiled Sandy Lyle’s Augusta farewell, with Jason Kokrak unleashing at Masters officials as play was suspended.
The 65-year-old Lyle, who enjoyed a famous victory in 1988, had made a double bogey on the 17th hole and then went to the fairway to play the last shot of his Masters career.
Around 500 fans had circled the green for the moment according to golf.com but Lyle’s final farewell was delayed, much to the displeasure of Kokrak.
“It could have been a really cool moment for Sandy Lyle, his family, the patrons, Augusta National, being the ’88 champion. Him and Larry being their last Masters,” Kokrak told GOLF.com.
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“I asked them for a special exemption. They said they weren’t even going to blow the horn for a few more minutes, but the trees came down on 17.
“I said this is a moment that he’s not going to get again. So I think Augusta National and the rules committee should be ashamed of themselves. And I’m really disappointed for him and his family for him not to be able to have that moment.
“… I think it’s absolutely chicken s**t that they wouldn’t grant a special exemption because they weren’t going to blow the horn except — I mean, I understand that there was a freak accident — trees going down. Thankfully, nobody got hurt.
“I think that should have been something that could have been something understood by anybody under the umbrella of Augusta National and the rules committee.”
Koepka was more fortunate, with the 2017 and 2018 US Open champion and 2018 and 2019 PGA Championship winner finishing well before the storm.
“The biggest advantage I had was my tee time,” Koepka said.
US Amateur champion Sam Bennett fired a 68 to stand third on 136. The 23-year-old Texan could be the first amateur in a Masters last pairing in 65 years and was confident he can defeat Koepka.
“I know that my good golf is good enough,” Bennett said.
Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa was fourth on 6-under 138 and Norway’s ninth-rated Viktor Hovland was at 6-under through 10 holes.
Australia’s Jason Day and Americans Sam Burns and Spieth, a three-time major winner, were on 139.
Day is the leading Australian but could have been in an even better position after two bogeys and a double bogey in the last four holes.
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“I’m actually very disappointed with how I finished,” Day said.
“Being decently close to where Brooks was going into the weekend, you never know how it goes, and obviously going from 9 to 5 was a bit of a kick in the gut.
“Seven shots is a long way. But there’s still 36 holes to go. I’m just going to not even focus on that, just got to focus on just hitting the best shot I can at the time and then add them up after the next few days.”
Koepka is among 18 qualifiers from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League at Augusta National, where talk of the PGA-LIV split has been set aside by players so they can focus on winning the green jacket.
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“I don’t know if this is the place for healing those wounds,” two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal said.
The PGA Tour banned players who jumped to the upstart series for record $25 million purses and 54-hole events and a court fight is set for early 2024, but LIV players can compete in majors.
World number two Rory McIlroy, who needs a Masters victory to complete a career Grand Slam, fired a 77 to stand on 149, three strokes over the projected cut line.
Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler struggled to a 75 to stand on 143.
Tiger Woods, a 15-time major winner and five-time Masters champion, was level par through 11 holes and on the projected 2-over cutline overall.
Woods, 47, has missed the cut only once in 24 prior Masters starts, as an amateur in 1996, a year before his record-shattering first major triumph at Augusta.
MASTERS LEADERBOARD
1. Brooks Koepka: -12
2. Jon Rahm: -9
3. Sam Bennett: -8
=4. Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa: -6
=6: Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth -5
AUSTRALIANS
Jason Day -5
Adam Scott -4
Cam Smith -2
More Coverage
Harrison Crowe +5
Min Woo Lee +6
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