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Tiger Woods is on the prowl for a sixth green jacket after penning another glorious chapter in his storied career with a record-breaking 24th consecutive cut made at the Masters.
The 15-time major winner dragged his battered 48-year-old body around Augusta National for 23 holes on Friday in a mighty display of mental and physical resolve to earn another weekend tee time.
After starting the day at one under through 13 holes of his opening round, Woods dropped two shots to post a one-over 73.
With the eye of a tiger, he then carved out an even-par second-round 72 in ferocious winds as the crowd rode his every shot.
On a day when pars were like gold, a thunderous “Tiger roar” reverberated around the course when he chipped in for birdie from the collar of a bunker on the par-3 sixth.
Further birdies on the third, eighth and 15th holes offset bogeys on four, five and No.14 as Woods eclipsed the cut record he previously shared with Fred Couples and Gary Player.
The former world No.1 – who had only played two competitive rounds since last year’s Masters – has now made the cut at Augusta every time he’s entered since first winning, by a record 12 shots, in 1997.
At one over for the tournament, and eight strokes behind mid-round on-course pacesetter Bryson DeChambeau, Woods is eyeing ever bigger history by matching Jack Nicklaus’s six Masters triumphs on Sunday.
“It means I have a chance going into the weekend. I’m here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament. I’m right there,” he said after conjuring up a series of incredible scrambling pars.
“The way the ball is moving on the greens, chip shots are being blown, it’s all you want in a golf course today.”
A stoic par at the last, when sand from the greenside bunker was whipping up across the green and into his eyes, typified Woods’ indomitable, never-say-die spirit.
“I’m tired. I’ve been out for a while, competing, grinding. It’s been a long 23 holes, a long day,” he said.
“But (caddie) Lance (Bennett) and I really did some good fighting today, and we’ve got a chance.”
Playing partner and joint halfway leader Max Homa said it was a dream come true enjoying a front-row view of the living legend, with a fused ankle and aching back, show his stuff.
“It was awesome. It really is a dream to get to play with him here,” Homa said after joining fellow Americans Bryson DeChambeau and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler atop the leaderboard at six under with a second-round 71.
“I’ve been saying I always wanted to just watch him hit iron shots around here, and I was right up next to him. It was really cool. His short game was so good.
“I don’t think I can explain how good some of the chip shots he hit today were.
“He’s special. We had a really quick turnaround, and if I was feeling tired and awful, I imagine he was feeling even worse.
“He just understands this golf course so well, but he hits such amazing golf shots. His iron play is so good that even when he did miss the green, you could tell he had so much control.
“And on 18, we had sandblasts for 45 seconds, and I turned around five times so I didn’t get crushed in the face, and he’s standing there like a statue and then poured it right in the middle.
“So all the cliches you hear about him and all the old stories about how he will grind it out, it was fun to see that in person.”
Meanwhile, Cam Davis and Cameron Smith have emerged unscathed on a day of carnage at Augusta National to raise hopes of another hoodoo-busting Australian Masters triumph.
Davis held his nerve to upstage his more-fancied compatriots and climb into a share of fifth, just three shots off the halfway lead, while Smith also surged into serious contention during the windswept second round.
Davis backed up his opening three-under-par 69 with a steely 72 on Friday to briefly capture the clubhouse lead at golf’s first major championship of the year.
Playing in the last group of the day, Smith joined Davis in the top eight with a 71 that left the 2022 British Open champion at one under and just five back entering the weekend.
Tied for fourth at the PGA Championship in Australia’s best result of the year at the 2023 US majors, the unheralded Davis was five under and within two shots of the lead at one point on Friday before making a double bogey at the par-4 seventh hole.
He flayed his drive right into the trees, chipped out on to the fairway and then dumped his third into a bunker and couldn’t scramble a bogey.
The 2017 Australian Open champion also rued putting through the green on the par-5 13th for a second six of the day, before bouncing back with a lovely birdie on 15 and clutch up-and-down par on the last.
“I had a couple of stumbles but I felt like I battled well and made some nice putts to keep the momentum,” Davis said.
“Three under in the conditions I played in, I feel pretty proud of. It’s a good test out there right now. I feel like pars are good scores.”
Playing in the last group of the day, Smith toiled even harder to stay in the hunt with a rare sub-par round. He could have been even higher up the leaderboard if not for a sloppy three-putt bogey on the 13th and a short birdie miss on 15.
Two clutch par savers late, though, made up for the misses. Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott also made the cut.
Playing with legendary five-time champion Tiger Woods, Day (75-73) is four under and 10 shots adrift of the lead.
The former world No.1 had to play 23 holes after returning early on Friday morning to resume his opening round at even par through 13. He double-bogeyed the 16th after dumping his tee shot into the water, then dropped another stroke at the last after slicing into the trees.
He stayed steady, though, in the howling winds to stay in the tournament with a one-over second round.
Lee (74-74) bogeyed the last to join Day at four over. Scott (76-74) looked certain to miss the cut for only the third time in 23 Masters appearances following a crushing lip-out bogey at the 18th.
But the 2013 champion – and still Australia’s only ever green jacket owner – earned a stay of execution when fellow former world No.1 Justin Thomas also bogeyed the last hole late in the day to move the cut line to six over.
Rookie amateur Jasper Stubbs (80-76) is the only Australian heading home early after slumping to 12 over on his major championship debut.
© AAP