Friday's Birdies and Bogeys
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Birdie: Bubba Watson
Two holes after his first bogey of the tournament on the 27th hole, Bubba Watson went on a streak of five consecutive birdies. Starting at 12, he manhandled Amen Corner and almost capped his run off with an ace on 16. His bogey on 18 didn't really matter; his odds to win had shortened from 7/1 to 13/8 by that point, making the 2012 Masters champ the heavy favorite, and 36 holes in, he's all but cruising to his second green jacket.-- *Luke Kerr-DineenFollow: @LukeKerrDineenPhoto By: Getty Images
Bogey: Bill Haas
Many wondered how Haas would handle his first overnight lead at a major. They got their answer as he made the turn on Friday. After playing the first eight holes even par, Haas went six over on the next five holes to tumble off the leader board. He wound up shooting 78, his worst score since the 2011 BMW Championship. On the bright side, he followed that round up by winning the Tour Championship the next week. Haas can also take solace in the fact it will be tough to do any worse the next time he finds himself in this position.-- *Alex MyersFollow: @AlexMyers3Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: Jordan Spieth
Going into the 2014 Masters, questions remained over when Jordan Spieth, young and talented as he is, would contend in a major championship. It's still early, but 36 holes into his first Masters as a professional, Spieth started to answer those questions. Despite the windy conditions, Spieth played his way into the top three, making three birdies and an eagle en route to his second round 70. -- L.K.D.Photo By: Getty Images
Bogey: Phil Mickelson
Has the Mickelson Masters magic run out? Probably not, but Phil followed up an opening 76 with a Friday 73. That makes it five consecutive over-par rounds for Mickelson at Augusta National, a streak that seems almost unfathomable for the man with the tournament's second-best career scoring average. Mickelson missed the cut by one shot, making it the first weekend he won't be playing at the Masters since 1997 and only the second time overall. Don't bet against him using the couple days off to make a quick trip to Pinehurst for some U.S. Open prep. -- A.M.Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: Fred Couples
What if we haven't actually been watching Couples make a new run up the Masters leader board year after year? What if this is just repeat footage that the Masters dusts off every April, all in hopes of injecting more drama into the season's first major? It would seem that way, because just as he did last year -- and the year before that, and the year before that -- Couples has emerged, currently sitting at T-7 after his second round 71. He even got the ultimate retro Fred Couples Masters break, with his tee shot on 12 somehow coming to rest on the bank along the 12th hole, much as it did 21 years earlier. Couples made bogey anyway, but it was a sign the guy still has some decent mojo here.-- *Sam WeinmanFollow: @SamWeinmanPhoto By: Getty Images
Bogey: CBS
If the early ratings are any indication -- ESPN was down big compared to Thursday last year -- this is going to be a disappointing weekend for Masters viewership. That's the ripple effect when Tiger Woods is nowhere to be found, Phil Mickelson is sent home early, and Rory McIlroy just sneaks into the weekend. There are still some compelling storylines remaining, but the casual golf fan might not pay close enough attention to notice. -- S.W.Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: Adam Scott
The 2013 Masters champ began his title defense in encouraging fashion with a three-under 69, but Friday appeared to be a setback. He bogeyed his first hole, then two more holes on the front nine to fall back to even par. But part of Scott's evolution has been a newfound resilience. Beginning with a tight approach on the par-3 12th, Scott strung together three birdies on the back nine to secure another late afternoon weekend tee time at the Masters. -- S.W.Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: John Senden
It took nearly eight decades for an Australian to finally win the Masters when Adam Scott broke through in 2013. Could Aussies now claim the title in back-to-back years? Senden did his part with a second-round 68, which matched the day's best score and left him alone in second place at four under through 36 holes. He'll be in the final pairing with leader Bubba Watson on Saturday, giving him the chance to directly apply some heat. Senden admits to being inspired by Scott's victory here last April, and he has good vibes from his own triumph at last month's Valspar Championship.-- *Ryan HerringtonFollow: @GWcampusinsiderPhoto By: Getty Images
Bogey: Marc Leishman
The Australian, who finished T-4 here in 2013, started his second round with birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 3 to reach five under for the tournament and take the outright lead for a short time. Emphasis on short. Over his last 15 holes, Leishman made six bogeys and two double bogeys to finish the round with a nine-over 79. Instead of being in contention on Saturday, he was heading home, having missed the cut by one stroke. Coincidentally, in his first appearance at the Masters in 2010, he also shot a second-round 79 to miss out on the weekend. -- R.H.Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: Thomas Bjorn
The 15-time European Tour winner has never won in the U.S., but he's certainly no stranger to contending in major championships. Most famously, he blew a late lead to Ben Curtis at the 2003 British Open, but he also finished runner-up to Phil Mickelson at the 2005 PGA Championship and has five top-four finishes in golf's four biggest events. Now a Friday 68 has the 43-year-old in contention at the Masters for the first time. Better late than never, right? -- R.H.Photo By: Getty Images
Bogey: Rory McIlroy
With Tiger out of the tournament, few could look past Rory McIlroy at the 2014 Masters. But rather than fighting for the lead after his opening round 71, two doubles and a smattering of other bogeys on Friday left McIlroy scrapping to make the cut all day (which he did, on the number). He still has a chance to win his first green jacket, but it's not exactly the one he had in mind. -- L.K.D.Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: Oliver Goss
An opening-round 76 put the U.S. Amateur runner-up in a tough spot if he wanted to extend his stay at Augusta National. But the Australian rallied nicely Friday with a one-under 71 to make the cut. As the lone amateur to do so, Goss secured a spot at the trophy ceremony Sunday, where he'll sit beside the eventual winner and pick up the Silver Cup from club chairman Billy Payne. Call it a birthday present to himself; Goss turns 20 on Saturday. -- R.H.Photo By: Getty Images
Bogey: American Amateurs
There were only two in the field this week -- PubLinks champion Jordan Niebrugge and Mid-Am winner Michael McCoy (shown) -- and both were longshots at turning their Masters experience into four-day affairs. Still, with the pair posting scores of 11 over and 17 over, respectively, it means that since 2005 only two of 29 American amateurs to play at Augusta National have managed make the cut. We'll do the math for you: that's a disappointing 6.8 percent. -- R.H.Photo By: Getty Images
Birdie: Mike Weir
He is eight shots behind another lefty former Masters champion, but the fact that Weir made it into the weekend at all is a success. Ranked 692nd in the world, the 2003 Masters champ has missed the cut in 47 of the 67 events he's played since 2011. He hasn't made a cut in the Masters in that period, either. But he's pieced together two solid rounds so far here to sit at a respectable one-over par. -- S.W.Photo By: AP Photo
Bogey: Keegan Bradley
Keegan Bradley hits the ball far and makes a lot of putts. That's usually the golden recipe for success at the Masters, but instead, Bradley slumped to a first round 75 before finishing birdie, birdie, par, birdie for a Friday 78. His MC at the 2014 Masters is the third-consecutive Masters where Bradley has finished worse than his result the year before -- an odd trend for a man whose game should be commanding more from the tournament. -- S.W.Photo By: Getty Images