When the men at the Masters set up the pin placements for the second round, knowing the wind was going to blow and the green speeds that they had agreed, they probably didn’t realise that they were going to have such a brutal contest in terms of the players struggling for par.
Yesterday marked the first time since the third round in 2007 that a player failed to shoot a round in the 60s at the Masters - and that particular renewal was not a memorable one in terms of the quality of golf.
It was an attritional, last-man-standing event in terms of the winner, as Zach Johnson ground his way to victory.
The difficulty of the course set-up in round two may have inadvertently done something which is great, in that it has provided us with the opportunity to watch Rory McIlroy go head to head with Jordan Spieth in the penultimate round.
They’re two players of totally different styles, not friends in terms of buddies, but they are friendly.
They also admire one another. They’ve spoken at length about each other’s strengths. I think McIlroy would love to have Spieth’s short game, especially his clinical putting. Spieth would obviously love to have McIlroy’s extraordinary ball-striking ability.
"In a way, McIlroy has taken five years to conquer the demons of 2011"
We’re supposed to get even more wind. That will present another conundrum. Will the short game of Spieth triumph over the ball-striking of McIlroy?
Spieth has two majors to his name, both won during his phenomenal 2015 season, while McIlroy has four majors to his name. However, he’s never won the hallowed Green Jacket. This is an event he has said “owes” him one.
In a way, McIlroy has taken five years to conquer the demons of 2011, when he had a four-stroke lead going into the final round, only to shoot 80.
People might remember that he also had a one-stroke lead heading into the final nine holes in 2011, only to have a horrendous run through Amen Corner.
He’s had chances in 2012 and 2013, but on both occasions his challenges were compromised by bad third rounds.
One thing about McIlroy in the second round is that he showed great tenacity to battle back from setbacks, like the double bogey on the fourth after he had birdied the second and the third, and also on the back nine when he fell back to level par with the bogey on 11 before conjuring up three birdies in the last five holes.
The 35-footer on the 16th was a bonus for McIlroy, but it was the eight-footer on the final hole that was critical in keeping him on three under and in the positions to play alongside Spieth.
The left-hand-below-right putting grip employed by McIlroy is working for him, delivering better feel and roll off the putter face. It will be fascinating to see how his new technique holds up over the weekend.
Only three other players aside from McIlroy broke par in an otherwise dull round, with Troy Merritt, Daniel Berger and Dustin Johnson all carding rounds of 71.
Shane Lowry shot a 76 yesterday but he did enough to hang in there and give himself a chance for a high finish. A top-five place in the Masters would be another really good feature of his ever-improving CV.
Lowry actually said he played well in his round of 76 but he got off to a terrible start with bogeys on the first and second holes. He also failed to get what he needed from his putter when he needed to rescue some key holes.
Looking ahead to round three, the duel between McIlroy and Spieth promises to light up golf fans Saturday night.
