The fevered excitement that accompanied Jordan Spieth's thunderous romp into a commanding halfway lead in the 79th Masters has almost caused as much of a stooshie as the build up to Andy Murray's wedding.
Spieth and Augusta look like a match made in heaven. It's not quite game, set and you know what yet, of course, but the 21-year-old's sizzling surge towards the Green Jacket is threatening to leave scorch marks on Magnolia Lane. His six-under-par 66 left him with a 14-under aggregate of 130 as he equalled the lowest halfway total in major history and opened up a five stroke lead over Charley Hoffman. His sparkling efforts over the first two days here also shaved a stroke off the Masters's previous record for 36-holes of 131 that was set by Raymond Floyd back in 1976.
Since winning the Australian Open by six shots back in November, Spieth has been simply sensational and has rocketed like something you'd usually see at Cape Canaveral. Rory McIlroy won the Australian Open the year before and then went on to win two majors in 2014. What chances Spieth doing similar in 2015? The omens look good. A win and two second place finishes in the three events immediately leading to this week's first major of the golfing season underlined his talent and title credentials. Having been runner-up in the Masters on his debut a year ago, it is clear that this young Texan is a quick learner. He is seeking to become the only player apart from Tiger Woods in this modern age to win a major crown before his 22nd birthday. Spieth reeled off a quartet of birdies on his opening 10 holes to up the ante and signal his intent to the chasing pack before taking advantage of the two par-fives on the back-nine, at 13 and 15, to burnish his card.
Spieth had led by three after the opening round and showed no sign of slowing down with a purposeful, profitable and patient performance. Funnily enough, the last player to lead the Masters outright on day one and go on to capture the Green Jacket was Spieth's fellow Texan, Ben Crenshaw, in 1984. "Ben joked to me that 'I'll be sitting with a beer and a sandwich in the crowd watching'," reported Spieth of the decorated veteran who was playing in his 44th and final Masters this week and bowed out last night amid much cuddling, hand shaking and welling up. "It's a shame he's going but legends have to go at some time."
The new generation have to take their place and yesterday was a nice day at the office for Spieth. Six birdies, no bogeys and hardly any moments of panic. The longest putt he had to save par all day was six-feet on the third, although every putt on Augusta's tormenting greens can be riddled with peril and menace. "When you have a day like that it takes the stress levels down," said Spieth, who shaved the hole with a birdie putt on the 18th. The pick of the birdies arrived on the par-five eighth, where he cracked an approach from 230 yards after finding a fairway bunker off the tee.
Intensity, stress and the weight of expectation are part and parcel of the major championship cut-and-thrust, of course, and Spieth's experiences from 2014 continues to stand him in good stead. "I think the biggest thing from last year was that I learned patience," he added. "The weekend in a major can almost feel like two rounds a day, the stress levels are higher. The hardest thing to do is to put aside that feeling that you want to win so badly. You just have to let it happen. I don't need to force it."
The chasing pack may have felt a need to force it but trying to keep up with Spieth yesterday was akin to chasing a Ferrari with a horse drawn plough. Hoffman did his best to keep clinging to the coat tails with a 68 as he cemented his place in the upper echelons on a 135. On another day, a halfway tally of nine-under may have had Hoffman coasting along at the top but Spieth's extraordinary spell has made sure this is no ordinary tournament. It's still only halfway, though and calm, composed Hoffman is well aware of that. "I'm only playing golf and there's a lot of golf left," he said. "You can't press too much out there but I was aggressive when I needed too be. I want to be in that last group with Jordan and you're watching one of the best players in world golf right now. You can feed off him and hopefully try to catch him."
Dustin Johnson, the big-hitting American, gave his hopes of winning a maiden major a sizeable lift as he took flight with a 67 that included a trio of eagles, a Masters record. Given that he started with a sloppy double bogey on the first hole, Johnson's salvage operation was impressive, even if it did end with a bogey on the last. He swiftly repaired the early damage with a curling putt that broke by seven feet on the second for his first three and then launched a 3 iron into seven-feet on the eighth for another eagle. "I couldn't have hit that any better," he cooed. His approach on the raking 15th was equally sublime and rolled up to within tap in distance. Johnson was joined in a share of third by the impressive English duo of Justin Rose and Paul Casey while Phil Mickelson got motoring and charged home in four-under to move to 138. Rory McIlroy was dicing with an early exit after trudging to the turn in 40 but he had a spring in his step when he bounded off the 18th having returned in 31 for a 71 and a two-under 142 to finish in a group that includes Tiger Woods and defending champion, Bubba Watson.
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