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5 things we learned on Friday at The 2018 Masters

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Friday is placement day in Georgia, as impending squalls loom large for the weekend. On a second consecutive, blue-sky day in Augusta, it was the conspiratorial winds of Berckmans Nursery that caused competitors to advance, retreat, advance again, and retreat once more. With dusk settling over the Augusta National course, the leader stood 9-under par, the cut fell at 5-over, and challengers could be lumped into three distinct groups: those who can win, those we are waiting to win, and those whose presence is a complete shock. We’ll have a look at all the events of day 2 of the 2018 Masters in today’s installment of 5 Things We Learned.

1) Golfers who haven’t won a Major, but won’t surprise us if they do

Marc Leishman would be any pro golfer’s pick for an impending major champion. You won’t believe how good Leish is, they say. Well, we believe you, after that rope hook into the 15th green, and the subsequent putt for eagle. Leishman lost a playoff for an Open Championship a few years back, so he knows his way around major championship pressure. The Aussie survived a scare at 18, and scrambled his way to par and 7-under at day’s end. He’ll play in the final pairing on Saturday. Patrick Reed has worn the Captain America moniker proudly when representing the USA in Ryder and Presidents Cup matches. The knock on the lad has been his inability to summon the same inspiration when contending in an individual major championship. If you missed his punch-out from the pines on 13, the wedge that followed, and the putt that dropped for birdie, 2018 might be Reed’s year to add a new bit of apparel to his wardrobe.

2) Golfers who haven’t won a Masters, and won’t surprise us when they do

Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson lead this squad. McIlroy has held the lead late on Sunday in Augusta, but the Masters remains elusive, the only major he has yet to claim. McIlroy survived professional and personal slumps, and has found his form at precisely the most appropriate moment. He seemed on the want through the Amen Corner on Friday, but found his form over the closing six holes, playing them in 2-under to reach 4-under through 36 holes. Dustin Johnson’s Sockgate of 2017 has been replaced in the public imagination by Tony Finau’s Anklegate, and the 2016 U.S. Open champion is poised to add another major title to his folder. No one was more of a favorite than Johnson at last year’s Masters, so perhaps the tournament feels like it owes him one. Remember that Johnson came back from his 2015 U.S. Open adversity to claim the title the following year. Lightning might strike twice.

3) Golfers who have won a Masters, and might add another 

Jordan Spieth was everyone’s darling after round one, then started round two with a double bogey. He’s at 4-under par, inside the top five heading into the second half of the tournament. Spieth had every opportunity to mail it in, but the wunderkind showed a gumption he’ll need to contend through Sunday. Sure, he’s finished in the top 2 three times at Augusta, but they don’t give you prizes for yesteryear. Bubba Watson was everyone’s darling before round one, but his opening 73 relegated him to afterthought status. The artistic lefty had some magic in his bag on Friday, never more in evidence than his up-and-down for par, from the left greenside bunker on 18. Spieth should be paired with DJ, while Bubba will match wits with Charley Hoffman or Adam Hadwin in round 3.

4) Golfers who have us completely confuzzled

Henrik Stenson, paging Henrik Stenson. On the day after countrymen Henrik and Daniel Sedin combined to score the winning goal in overtime in their final home game in Vancouver, Stenson stuck around. He has an Open Championship to his credit, besting Phil Mickelson in the greatest game ever played, but he has yet to play well through four rounds in Augusta. A good week to be Swedish? We’ll see. Rickie Fowler had made the longest putt of the day, 66 feet for par at the 6th, until Russel Henley bested him with 82 feet for eagle at No. 15. Fowler coulda shoulda woulda but has yet to do so. His Garcia-esque career, highlighted for so long by a Players Championship, desperately needs a major title. Fowler sits at 2-under par, inside the top 10.

5) And that leaves…the Justins

Justin Thomas, of course. The 2018 PGA champion made a back-nine move to reach the top ten, heading into the weekend. Oh, and Justin Rose, last year’s runner-up and the 2013 U.S. Open and 2016 Olympic champion. With their inclusion, six of the world’s top-9 professional golfers are in the top 10 at Augusta, heading into moving day. I don’t know that a major championship could offer more promise than that. Sure, we’d love to have those two darling oldies in the mix, but Tiger and Phil will have to wait until Shinnecock in June for a chance at major redemption.

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. golf123

    Apr 7, 2018 at 9:49 am

    I’m sorry – Rickie Fowler has 4 PGA tour wins…. how is that a resume in ‘need of a major title’? The guy is dining out on the 2014 season when he finished top 10 in all 4 majors… take that away and his career looks a lot more like Bill Haas’ than someone who for some reason finds himself mentioned in the conversation of best player to not win a major…

    • Ronald Montesano

      Apr 8, 2018 at 12:01 pm

      He has 8 professional wins, including the next closest thing to a major (Players Championship), and 2 European Tour wins against strong fields. He is a former Walker Cup, Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup player. He contends regularly in common, WGC and major events. That’s what I use for my justification.

  2. yabba

    Apr 6, 2018 at 11:51 pm

    Tiger in the woods
    Tiger in the sand
    Tiger in the water
    Tiger in the pine cones
    Tiger everywhere !!!!!

  3. ogo

    Apr 6, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Tiger made the cut but is 13 strokes off the lead… and… he will make a fantabulous charge on Saturday and Sunday to win it all …. NOT … 😛

  4. Bob Parson Jr.

    Apr 6, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    A cheat like Reed doesn’t deserve to win such a prestigious tournament. Reed has been accused of been a cheat for many years. Personally, I would have banned him from the tour years ago.

  5. Simms

    Apr 6, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    Phil looked like a 12 handicap out there today, did not have his head in the game at all..was moving around and never set up to swing all day…Tiger, oh well ten to one that stuff about his girl friend that came out this week is on his mind for sure…but at least Tiger played more like an 11 handicap to Phil’s 12 today….

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Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
  • jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
  • jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
  • Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

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Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
  • bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
  • CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

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GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

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A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down. 

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

 

  • GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

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