Rory McIlroy was faced with an uphill task on day two of the Masters after England’s Paul Casey set an impressive clubhouse target at Augusta National.
Casey fired an eagle and five birdies in a flawless 65 to lead by two shots from Webb Simpson and Xander Schauffele, with defending champion Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood part of a five-strong group on four under.
A weather delay of almost three hours meant most of the later starters were unable to finish their first round on schedule, with Justin Thomas reaching five under par after 10 holes before play was suspended due to the fading light.
McIlroy had covered the front nine in level par and faced a bunker shot on the 10th when play resumed.
Tweet of the day
"Oh my God! Mud ball!"
Jason Kokrak's second shot flew the 15th green and caught a downslope before running just past Westwood, as he walked off the 16th tee, and into the lake! 🌊
Watch live only on Sky Sports #TheMasters or follow it here: https://t.co/Mi4IOcka10 pic.twitter.com/3at6pWANBd
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) November 12, 2020
Jason Kokrak was unlucky to find the water on the 15th, but at least Lee Westwood showed him where the ball had gone in.
Quote of the day
62-year-old Sandy Lyle, the 1988 #TheMasters champion, is playing in suspenders in 2020. pic.twitter.com/ODCOnZoHsd
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) November 12, 2020
“I’ve got rubber things inside here to stop the shirt coming out, and when I wear braces the shirt doesn’t come out, so that’s it. I don’t use it for a fashion parade” – Sandy Lyle explains his decision to wear braces.
Shot of the day
A slinging approach to two feet on No. 9 by past champion Patrick Reed. #themasters pic.twitter.com/lFTZ1eSe9H
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 12, 2020
Former champion Patrick Reed looked to be in trouble after a wayward drive on the ninth, only to produce a magical escape to set up a birdie.
Round of the day
A fine start @Paul_Casey ✍️#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/gzep8yPIys
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 12, 2020
Nineteen months after an opening round of 81, Paul Casey improved by 16 shots with a flawless 65.
Statistic of the day
Clean. 💯
🐯 Career-best opening round at the Masters.🐯 First bogey-free opening round at the Masters.🐯 First bogey-free round in a major in his last 106.@TigerWoods has found his form. 🐅 pic.twitter.com/hUWaKjHRa9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 12, 2020
It is tough for Tiger Woods to break new ground at this stage of his career, but the 44-year-old managed it with a bogey-free 68.
Easiest hole
The par-five second hole played to an average of 4.500 with 36 players making birdie and clubhouse leader Paul Casey one of four players to make an eagle.
Toughest hole
Casey also birdied the 10th, his opening hole, but overall that played the toughest, with 23 bogeys and two double bogeys contributing to an average of 4.265.
On the up
Paul Casey’s prospects of a first major title after the 43-year-old carded a superb 65, a 16-shot improvement on his opening round last year.
On the slide
Rory McIlroy’s chances of the victory needed to complete the career grand slam after a front nine of 36 left him with plenty of work to do.
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