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Heavy winds at Augusta Nationwide on Friday left the world’s best golfers struggling to make par on a day of excessive scoring at The Masters.
Tiger Woods confronted a mini-sandstorm on the 18th inexperienced when the wind whipped up sand from the greenside bunker whereas Gary Woodland was about to putt earlier than his ball blew away, virtually off the inexperienced.
The highest spherical of the day was a three-under 69 from Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg with just one the trio of co-leaders, Max Homa, getting beneath par along with his one-under 71.
With the tall pine timber swaying closely in locations, the sight of gamers stepping again from photographs as sturdy gusts of wind all of the sudden hit them was one other signal of how difficult it was on the already tough course.
“I don’t suppose it will get any more durable than this, to be trustworthy,” stated 58-year-old Jose Maria Olazabal, Masters champion in 1994 and 1999.
“I imply, you actually don’t know the place the wind is coming from, what the wind is doing. Among the instances you might be guessing how the ball goes to react up within the air.
“Across the greens it’s very tough to manage the space, the tempo on the greens. From one to 10, I might give it an 11.”
England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who shot one of many higher rounds along with his 71, stated there was not a second’s respite.
“It was only a scrap all day. I imply, the course is tough sufficient with out just like the situations that they’ve had,” he stated.
“Nothing’s ever completed, like nothing’s protected ever, like whether or not you’ve bought a three-footer or no matter, you’re simply by no means completed till you’ve really bought the ball within the gap. So it’s a reasonably worrying place to play when it’s like this.”
South African Christo Lamprecht, taking part in his first Masters, noticed his ball transfer six instances on the inexperienced in keeping with his companion and compatriot Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 champion.
“It’s unlucky, for a man like that, first time round right here, he bought thrown within the deep finish,” he stated.
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Eire’s Shane Lowry is effectively used to windy situations however stated that mixed with Augusta’s notoriously difficult greens was a double-whammy.
“It’s simply arduous. It’s arduous to choose a wind and it’s arduous to get it proper if we have been taking part in round a standard golf course, however you’re taking part in round Augusta Nationwide, the place you need to be so exact as effectively,” Lowry stated.
“You’re making an attempt to pitch the ball; you don’t have a lot to pitch the ball in. You might be made to seem like an fool on the market right this moment by not doing an excessive amount of unsuitable.”
However Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner at Augusta, stated he felt it could have been windier in 2007 when Zach Johnson triumphed.
“There’s been a few actually robust wind days. In case you fought arduous and form of stayed in it, this weekend needs to be good and provide you with some alternatives to make a transfer,” he stated.
© Agence France-Presse
Picture: Jamie Squire/Getty Photos
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