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Friday's Birdies and Bogeys

By Alex Myers

Who were the winners and losers on Friday at Augusta National? It's time to take a closer look with another edition of birdies and bogeys.

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Bogey: Tiger WoodsRemember when Tiger won Bay Hill and we thought he now had it all figured out? Yeah, well, he doesn't. En route to a second-round 75, Woods was a mess on Friday, missing greens, cursing audibly, even dropping his club and kicking it after an errant tee shot on the 16th hole. It was the former world No. 1 doing his best imitation of Spalding from "Caddyshack," only without Judge Smails to set him straight. Clearly someone needs to.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Birdie: Fred CouplesNo matter how many times he contends here, Couples still manages to amaze. Despite his age (52), a chronic bad back and a shaky belly putter, Freddie surged into contention at Augusta National 20 years after he captured his lone major championship in this tournament. A second-round 67 gave him a share of the lead and matched the second-lowest score in 106 career rounds at Augusta National. What did he shoot in the second round in 1992 when he claimed the green jacket? You guessed it: 67.
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Bogey: Sean FoleyIt was fun while it lasted, that brief window when Woods and all of Foley's other star pupils were riding high. But after all the progress the young swing instructor made with Woods heading into the Masters, the most-scrutinized swing in golf has taken a step back this week. Woods has looked as if he has no clue where the ball is headed next, and if Hank Haney's book is any indication, that could mean some uncomfortable range sessions in Foley's immediate future.
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Birdie: Sergio GarciaA decade ago, Garcia was the great twentysomething poised to be Tiger Woods' big rival. After falling short of expectations and falling even further during a rough 2010, he quietly resurfaced last year, in particular in the majors. Garcia finished T-7 and T-9 at the U.S. and British Opens, respectively, and followed that up with a T-12 at the PGA Championship. There's still plenty of time for Garcia. At 32, he's still younger than Phil Mickelson when Lefty finally broke through to win his first major at this tournament in 2004.
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Bogey: Lee WestwoodHe's a shot off the lead heading into the weekend, giving him yet another chance to grab that elusive first major. Yet for Westwood, the lasting image from Friday might end up being the way he botched the 18th hole, when he missed a 12-footer for par, then the 3-foot comebacker for bogey. On a crowded leader board, that sort of lapse could be a difference come Sunday.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Birdie: Masters tournament committeeSay what you want about the club's resistance to change, but when it comes to setting up the golf course, the men behind the Masters are open to mixing it up. They employed new hole locations on the 16th hole each of the first two days, as well as one on the 13th hole, leading several players to take on a different angle of attack with their third shots on the vaunted par 5.
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Bogey: Major scarsBetween Rory McIlroy's meltdown here last year and Jason Dufner coughing up the PGA Championship down the road in Atlanta, you might think damage from one tournament would carry over to this one. But with each in position to contend for a green jacket, both have made the case that bad memories don't linger.
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Birdie: Jason DufnerThe 35-year old Dufner in contention might not be the sexiest of storylines, but Dufner deserves a ton of credit for summoning his best golf in the biggest events. Amazingly, for a second straight major, the man with zero PGA Tour titles and an old-school waggle has a chance to cash in when it matters most.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Bogey: Steve StrickerAlways on the short list of the "Best Player To Have Never Won A Major" talk, his time to break through is getting shorter as well. Regarded as one of the best putters on tour, many think Augusta National would be a fitting venue for his maiden major. It's probably not going to happen for the 45-year old this year, though. After opening with a 71, he stumbled to a 76 on Friday to fall nine shots off the pace.
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Birdie: Rory McIlroyFor a moment on the front nine, it looked like the 22-year old might run away and hide from the field on another Friday, as he did at last year's U.S. Open. That wound up not being the case, but a second-round 69 still has McIlroy in great position to crush any bad memories left over from last year's meltdown. As the saying goes, though, the Masters doesn't really start until the back nine on Sunday. McIlroy knows this as well as anyone.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Birdie: Phil MickelsonEven after one of his poorest ball-striking tours around Augusta National on Thursday, Mickelson remained optomistic that a low round was coming today. He was right. For a second straight day, he used an unlikely birdie on the final hole -- this time to cap a 68 -- to leave him in contention to win a fourth green jacket.
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Bogey: Darren ClarkeHow do you follow up your career-defining win in last year's Open Championship? Apparently you don't. After emerging as an unlikely winner last year at Sandwich, Clarke has lost his focus, shooting 24-over par in his four major championship rounds since. Even worse after Friday's 81 was Clarke's treatment of reporters who sought him out in the locker room, with Clarke barking at them that he wasn't willing to talk. If he keeps playing like this, he won't have to worry about anyone asking.
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