Augusta, April 08, 2016: You could not have scripted this, if you put your imagination to the test at the end of the first round. Jordan Spieth went to bed with a four shot lead over Rory McIlroy and his cushion bloated to seven strokes by the fourth hole on Friday. As things stand though, Spieth and McIlroy will tee off in the final group on Saturday separated merely by one shot. On a windy day at the Augusta National Golf Club, McIlroy made 71 and Spieth 74, with the latter leading the board at 4-under 140. (Golf News)
Danny Lee, Scott Piercy and Hideki Matsuyama are all tied in third at 2-under 142. Bryson DeChambeau got the crowd excited with a pair of consecutive birdies, but after reaching the 18th at 3-under, made a painstaking seven to drop back to even par.
Spieth looked like he might run away into the distance when he made birdies at the first and third holes, but the conditions and the difficult pin positions combined to reel him back during the course of a difficult day.
The defending champion was 8-under through four and 7-under through eight but four bogeys on the back nine and an uncharacteristic double on the fifth hole ate away his overnight advantage.
After a couple of early birdies, McIlroy also lost his way – double bogey at the fourth, bogeys at five and eleven saw him drop to even par. The Northern Irishman showed tremendous character under demanding conditions though as he made three birdies to put himself firmly in contention for the weekend.
One of those birdies, the one at the 16th was a magical putt. McIlroy played around the pin allowing the ball roll back into the cup using the gradient of the greens. The applause that followed threatened to bring the tall pines around the hole nearly down.
Spieth though has become the first golfer to lead the Masters for six consecutive rounds. Arnold Palmer also had the distinction of leading six straight rounds, but he only had a share of the lead in the first round of 1961.
McIlroy is seeking to join an elite club of five players who have won all four majors – Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, and Ben Hogan are the only men to have done so during their careers.
Spieth, on the other hand is looking to become the first player since Tiger Woods to successfully defend the title at Augusta. Neither feat is going to come easy, so buckle up and get the popcorn ready. We are in for a heady weekend of golf.
Anand Datla is at Augusta National Golf Club covering the tournament this week live from the course.
