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Augusta, Ga. • Halfway through the 81st Masters, the four co-leaders stand 4 under par.
That number is a story in itself, considering the first-round leader shot 7 under. And the material gets even better going into the weekend at Augusta National Golf Club, considering the names of those leaders and how they got there.
Charley Hoffman brought a bunch of people back into the competition Friday by playing 10 strokes worse than he did Thursday. Thomas Pieters produced another adventurous round. Rickie Fowler blistered the front nine. And to make it all even more interesting, Sergio Garcia is in the mix for his first major title — never mind what the scoreboards around the course were saying about him for an hour or so.
With the likes of 57-year-old Fred Couples, rookie Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and three-time winner Phil Mickelson also in the top 10, the weekend will be fun. Scoring should be much lower in sunny, pleasant conditions Saturday and Sunday, after only nine players posted under-par totals through two rounds.
The wind contributed to the bunching of the leaders Friday, although that's an inadequate explanation for the rise of Fowler with a 5-under-par 67 that featured an eagle on No. 2 during his front-nine 32.
Hoffman followed his opening 65 with a 75, crumbling in the middle of the round before making a mild comeback. He was 8 under for the tournament through five holes Friday, then bogeyed five of six holes before bouncing back with a birdie on the tricky par-3 No. 12. "Yeah, suck up and hit a golf shot," he said, relaying the instructions he gave himself.
After an easy stroll around Augusta National in the opening round, Hoffman discovered "how hard it was for everybody else in this wind when you sort of got out of position," he said.
Pieters responded well on the back nine, after having played his way onto and off the scoreboards during the first two rounds. The German golfer stood 5 under through 10 holes Thursday, only to settle for an even-par round. He bogeyed the first hole Friday, before launching a rally that he accelerated with an eagle on No. 13. So he's tied for the lead, even after playing a nine-hole stretch in 6 over par.
The first-time Masters contestant reminded himself how everyone said even par was good Thursday, even if he was 5 under at one time. And he stayed patient after his early bogey Friday.
Fowler bogeyed the par-5 No. 15, but reclaimed his tie for the lead with a birdie on the par-3 No. 16.
Fowler said he convinced himself to embrace the wind, using the Jack Nicklaus mindset of believing other players were psyched out by the conditions.
Garcia began the second round with three straight birdies, even while No. 1 was harming most of the field. He was tied for the lead at 4 under as he made the turn, but then bogeyed the par-4 No. 10. His score was reported as a triple bogey, appearing that way on the manual scoreboards for about an hour. Garcia attributed the error to a mixup with Shane Lowry, who was similarly dressed.
In any case, Garcia followed a bogey on No. 13 with birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 to share the lead. And he's targeting a major victory after years of frustration that included a memorable speech in which he basically wrote off his chances of ever winning on such a stage.
He would be willing to eat those words. "I've shown myself many times after that, that I can contend and I can truly feel like I can win, not only one, but more than one," Garcia said.
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Recapping the round: Daniel Summerhays
BEST HOLE • No. 13, birdie. His approach shot stayed on the bank to the right of the green, and he chipped up and made a 5-foot putt.
WORST HOLE • No. 15, bogey. After laying up, he hit his third shot over the green and needed three putts from there.