TIGER WOODS and Rory McIlroy are going to have to dig deeper than ever before, as they bid to write new chapters in golfing history.
Both men have to make up a big deficits on new world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, the hottest golfer on the planet.
Scheffler, 25, has turned himself into the game’s most dominant player with three wins in his last five starts.
And after powering into a commanding five-shot halfway lead at Augusta, he is not going to be an easy man to chase down.
Woods, 46, is seeking to match Jack Nicklaus record of six Augusta triumphs, and to move to within two of the Golden Bear’s haul of 18 Majors.
He has already pulled off one miracle merely by making it to the tee at Augusta, just 14 months after suffering life-threatening injuries in a car crash.
At one over par, he may need to pull off another miracle to pull on yet another green jacket.
Recovering from a start that saw him bogey four of his first five holes to salvage a respectable 74 showed you can never count Woods out
He is a shot ahead of McIlroy, who is making his eight attempt to join Nicklaus, Woods, and just three other golfers by completing the career Grand Slam.
And McIlroy is ready to show he really is a born battler, as he tries to prove he can win the Masters in desperately difficult conditions.
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When the going gets tough, McIlroy has a reputation as someone who goes missing, especially if the wind is whipping around a course, as it was at Augusta yesterday.
But after a gritty 73 that matched his first round effort in much easier scoring conditions, McIlroy insisted he was up for the fight.
He said: “I like it when it gets tough like this. I enjoy the challenge, I really do.
“This is what Major championship golf is all about. It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be easy. The conditions look pretty similar tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to that.
“I still feel like I’m right there. You go out tomorrow and you play a decent front nine, and all of a sudden you’re right in the thick of things.”
McIlroy may have been pleased with his efforts, but the round of the day came from Ryder Cup team-mate Shane Lowry.
If you needed to stake your life on one player raising his game in tough conditions, 2019 Open champion Lowry is your man – as he showed with a brilliant four under par 68 to boost his chances of becoming a double Major champion.
Source: The Sun
