Playing the first two rounds of the 86th Masters with Tony Finau worked out nicely for Scottie Scheffler, but a return to Augusta National Golf Club has failed to bring out the best from Finau.
The West High School graduate said this week that expected the arrival of “major season” to give his game a needed jolt. After a fairly encouraging first-round 71, though, Finau faded to a tie for 23rd place Friday with a 3-over-par 75 – matching his worst score in 18 career trips around Augusta National.
Putting troubles hurt him on the first 10 holes, as Finau missed four attempts from 4 to 6 feet. And then some erratic shots cost him three more bogeys on the back nine. His previous 75 came in the second round of the 2020 Masters, staged in November. His three April appearances have resulted in top-10 finishes.
Finau’s birdies Friday each came via a 4-foot putt, on the par-5 No. 2 and the par-3 No. 12.
Sandy resident Mike Weir posted a 76 in the second round, missing the 36-hole cut by two strokes with a 6-over total.
Scheffler, paired with Finau and former champion Adam Scott for the first two days, enters the weekend with a five-stroke lead at 8 under par.
As for Finau, the first clue that he was in for a tough day on Augusta National’s greens came when he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 1. He responded by converting a 4-footer for birdie on No. 2 after a great pitch shot, but bogeyed Nos. 6 and 10 and failed to birdie the par-5 No. 8, all due to misses from inside of 6 feet.
Ironically, his best putt of the day merely enabled him to salvage a bogey on No. 11 after his second shot found the pond left of the green. He made a 16-footer.
Finau then birdied the par-3 No. 12, but he bogeyed No. 14 after missing the green with his approach shot. And he bogeyed the par-5 No. 15 following his second penalty stroke of the back nine, as his low-flying second shot with a fairway wood went into the water behind the green.
Finau parred the last three holes, as his birdie try lipped out of the hole on No. 18.
As is usually the case, it would be fairly easy to find the two shots Weir needed to advance to the weekend for the second time in eight years. He three-putted for bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 and needed three putts from the fringe on No. 14.
The 2003 champion still had a chance after birdieing the par-5 No. 15 from 11 feet, but he missed a 12-foot birdie try on No. 17 and bogeyed No. 18 after hitting a bunker shot to within 5 feet. Weir, 51, has missed the cut in 10 of his last 12 Masters appearances after playing the weekend in 10 of his first 11 visits.
