Two Englishmen stormed to the higher altitudes of the Masters leaderboard here on Friday. One performed his climb in a grumbly mood, the other was a vision of serenity, and guessing which of those was Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton ought to have been easy.
But Augusta National is nothing if not a haven of surprises, meaning we saw one of the finest and most composed rounds of Hatton’s life with barely a stroke or syllable out of place.
His 66 carried him to four under par and a brief share of the clubhouse lead at a course he once hated. We will chronicle his past outbursts here shortly, including the time he mimicked blowing the 13th to pieces with a shotgun, but first let’s go to the Ryder Cup team-mate who passed him a short while later.
That would be Justin Rose, the stately gentleman of a certain age whose love of these hills has been built on three runner-up finishes. A loop of 69 took him to one shot better than Hatton and a weekend of rich possibilities. Aged 45, it’s exceptional.
But so too is the rarity of Rose having a strop. He had a few on Friday – his putter was tossed in the air in frustration on the fourth, causing minor damage to the green upon landing, and he slapped his thigh with fury after another missed role on the eighth. A tetchy chat about yardages with his caddie, Mark Fulcher, followed a hole later and by the 14th, Fulcher was being compelled to keep the patrons in order. Plainly, his man was in a more sensitive frame of mind than usual.
But here’s the thing – his scoring was still impressive, particularly on a course baked so firm. His wisdom in plotting a route is almost unmatched among the field after 20 previous visits, and that was proven once more in how he pocketed five birdies in a stretch between the seventh and 15th holes.
Justin Rose was uncharacteristically animated during his second round at the Masters
Tyrrell Hatton was a vision of serenity at Augusta National – a golf course he is known to loathe
Rose making hay on the back nine? Glorious shades of deja vu from last year.
Picking his highlight would take us to the two wedge shots he hit to tap-in birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. With sharper putting from short and mid-range earlier in his round, a 36-hole tally around seven under par would have been well within reach, but a 69 is never bad.
It was also a strong way to capitalise on the relatively easier conditions – as with Thursday, the tougher side of the draw was found under the hotter sun of late afternoon. Rory McIlroy, the joint-overnight leader, had birdied three of the first four to reach eight under, so not everyone was locked in a wrestle, but Hatton’s card was indicative of better scoring conditions.
Not that he needed much help – he hit every single green in regulation, all bar two of 14 fairways, and nailed almost every putt from that crucial zone between six and 10 feet, until his only bogey via a three-putt on the 18th. Prior to that point, he had never left himself needing more than a three-footer for par, such was his control.
That we can use flattering terms about him at the Masters is baffling. Hatton’s talent has never been in doubt, but his relationship with this course has only shifted subtly from a turgid introduction, when his first seven visits yielded a sub-70 round only once.
A reminder: Hatton used to loathe Augusta. It poked at all of his self-destructive instincts.
And never was that better shown than 2022, when he flicked a middle finger at one hole, pumped his putter like a shotgun in retaliation at the 13th, and labelled its quirks as ‘unfair’ and ‘unenjoyable’. But he told Daily Mail Sport recently that recent finishes of ninth and 14th here had fostered a grudging truce between man and grass and this round showcased the English madman at his best. Stunning.
Meanwhile, a round of 70 took Hatton’s LIV colleague Jon Rahm to four over and a fighting chance of making the cut. Arriving in brilliant form and arguably the favourite, he has been savaged by a combination of the course and his own swing.
‘It’s just one of those things in golf,’ he said. ‘I felt really good all year besides yesterday. I actually felt pretty good today, but yesterday was just an anomaly where everything that could go wrong went wrong.
‘Not that I shot myself out of the tournament but I was going to need an absolute miracle starting today, and didn’t quite do enough. I’m going to need a heck of a round tomorrow to give myself a chance and even then, might be a little too far away.’
Former US Open champion Wyndham Clark had earlier hinted at the potential scoring by charging to four under with a 68, but for every climber, there was a tumble. Arguably, Scottie Scheffler was the biggest beast of all to fall – he started on two under, and had a shocking collapse on the par fives at 13 and 15.
On the former, a ball went in the creek and at the latter he airmailed the green and rolled through to water. Two double bogeys meant he carded a 74 to sit on level par.
Worse off was Bob MacIntyre, who appeared destined to miss the cut after a 71 could only improve his score to seven over par. Having sworn at the course, himself and, indeed, Jesus at various points of rage on Thursday, the only relief for the Scot was that he avoided a second reprimand from the green jackets.
