Cal Sports Report

The Masters: Amid Heavy Rain and Falling Trees, Collin Morikawa Climbs to a Tie for 4th

Fellow Cal grad Max Homa is farther back at 38th after a second-round score of 73.

Jeff Faraudo

Rains fell on August National Friday — and so did at least three tall pine trees — but Cal grad Collin Morikawa survived the chaos to climb into a tie for fourth place at the Masters.

Play was stopped twice because of the storm, the second time at 4:22 p.m. ET with a handful of golfers still on the course. The completion of second-round play is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, followed by the third round.

Morikawa shot a 3-under 69 for the second day in a row and sits at minus-6 through 36 holes. But he’s well back of Brooks Koepka, who resurfaced after joining the Saudi-backed LIV tour and is at 12 under through two rounds.

Cal’s other top pro, fifth-ranked Max Homa, made the cut but is well back at even par and tied for 38th place after shooting a 1-over 73 on Friday.

Morikawa became embroiled in a Twitter storm controversy when some TV viewers thought he illegally moved his ball before trying a birdie putt on the sixth hole. He wound up missing the putt and settling for par on the hole.

During his post-round new conference, Morikawa called it “pretty routine” and “pretty standard." The video also shows him checking with his playing partner to confirm he was following the rules.

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The day was marked by severe weather that led to at least three trees toppling, two of them no more than 15 yards from the 17th tee box, sending patrons scrambling to safety.

"The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters Tournament will always be the top priority of the club, which will continue to closely monitor weather today and through the tournament," the Masters said in a statement.

No one was injured by the falling trees.

The course had already been cleared once for 21 minutes when the first round of storms passed through. The horn sounded again at 4:22 p.m. ET just as another set of storms was arriving with heavy rains and the threat of lightning.

Collin Morikawa - Day 2 Masters
Collin Morikawa / Photo by Michael Madrid, USA Today

Morikawa, already a two-time major winner at the age of 26, is seeking his first title anywhere since capturing the 2021 (British) Open.

The world's 12th-ranked player had birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 8 and 15 and a lone bogey on No. 9.

Morikawa currently shares fourth place with Viktor Hovland, who carded a 65 in the opening round but was 1 over through 10 holes when play was halted Friday.

Koepka, who missed the cut at the Masters a year after a knee injury that did not heal well, has been sharp through two days. He was one of three players tied at 65 after Thursday’s opening round and he fired a 67 on Friday to move into sole possession of the top spot on the leaderboard.

Koepka said his knee is no longer an issue. “I’m able to do everything I need to,” Koepka said. “And the confidence is there. The confidence was lost just because of my knee, and that was it.”

Jon Rahm, the other golfer who shared the first-round lead, was 2 under through nine holes on Friday and in second place at minus-9.

Amateur Sam Bennett, a senior at Texas A&M, shot 4-under 68 for the second day in a row and is at minus-8.

“I think I am prepared. The hard work’s done. I made the cut as an amateur. I kind of made my mark. I played steady golf,” Bennett said. “Now it’s time for me to go out and enjoy, soak it all in, be able to play the weekend at the Masters.”

Max Homa ponders a putt on the 18th hole
Max Homa ponders a putt on the 18th hole / Photo by Katie Goodale, USA Today

Homa finished in a tie for 48th at the Masters last year after missing the cut in his two previous starts at Augusta National. He shot a wild 73 on Friday, featuring four birdies and five bogeys, including three over the final four holes.

World No. 1 and reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler ballooned to a 75 after shooting 68 in the opening round and tied for 29th place at minus-1.

Tiger Woods was at plus-2 and projected to make the cut when play halted Friday, but he had completed just 11 holes. Plus-2 is projected as the cut line.

Among those who did not make the cut was Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world, who finished 36 holes at 5 over par.

Photo of volunteers and officials securing an area around a fallen tree at August National by Michael Madrid, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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Jeff Faraudo
JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics. 

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