Augusta: Rory McIlroy opened his Masters with a pair of 73s that left him in the mix, if a bit frustrated over missed opportunities on a golf course he has grown to know well.
He’s in his 14th Masters and still seeking his first green jacket, something many expected he would get in 2011 when he held a four-shot lead going into the final round only to shoot 80. The Masters is the only major the former No. 1 from Northern Ireland hasn’t won.
Still, McIlroy wasn’t about to be drawn into any talk about having a love-hate relationship with Augusta National.
"For a golfer, it’s one of the best places on earth,’’ McIlroy said. "Someone could argue St. Andrews. Someone could argue here. But it’s such a cool place that you can never hate it. Sometimes I hate the results of the tournament, but in terms of the place and the club and the membership, it’s wonderful, and I always have a great time here.’’
McIlroy said he has learned over the years not to dwell on any shots or any particular round the week of the Masters.
"It’s maturity. It’s experience. It’s walking away 13 years in a row empty handed,’’ he said. "So it’s like, eh, it’s just sort of go out and play and see what happens.’’
Not pretty
What happened Friday in the second round wasn’t always pretty. McIlroy went bogey-double bogey to start the back side, then rebounded to play 2 under the rest of the way.
"I still feel like I’m right there,’’ he said. "You go out tomorrow and you play a decent front nine and all of a sudden you’re right in the thick of things.’’
Having his son on his bag wasn’t the only thing Stewart Cink was celebrating Friday at the Masters.
It was Reagan’s birthday. And Cink made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole.
"I already got him the hole-in-one,’’ Cink said when asked what he would get Reagan. "That’s the extent of my birthday present. I gave him the ball. That should be enough, right?’’
Cink hit an 8-iron that landed past the hole, then slowly rolled off the hill toward the pin. By the time it went in he had already started walking toward the green.
"The neat part about it was, as the ball got closer down to the hole, I knew it was going in because the patrons in the front left all were watching it on line and they knew it was in, and they all got up,’’ Cink said. "When they got up, I knew it wasn’t missing. So that was cool. It was really neat out there.’’
Son Reagan dropped the golf bag when the ball went in and embraced his father in a bear hug as fans leaped in glee.
"This golf course and the tournament, it’s just a wonderful environment anyway,’’ Cink said. "So to have something like that happen was really something I’ll always remember for sure.’’
The day wasn’t entirely good for Cink. He ended up shooting a 75 to go 7-over for two rounds and miss the cut.
Tom Hoge may not win the Masters, but at least he’s got a shot he’ll long remember.
Playing in his first Masters, Hoge hit a 3-wood on the 11th hole so far right on his second shot that it ended up in front of a grandstand on top of a hill behind the 12th tee.
Hoge’s ball actually rolled a few feet down the hill as he approached it, settling into a tight lie on an area trampled by fans. Compounding his difficulties were fans sitting in about 40 rows of folding chairs between him and the green, which sits on a plateau with water just behind.
Trickled down
Hoge got the fans to move but let them leave the chairs in place. He then hit a wedge that hit on the edge of the green and trickled down to about 8 feet.
He didn’t get the storybook ending he wanted, missing the par putt.
"I hit a perfect shot for my third,’’ he said. "Unfortunately missed a short putt there, but it was kind of fun.’’
Dustin Johnson usually is one of the most impressive drivers in golf. Just not this week, mainly because he’s not hitting a lot of drivers.
That’s by choice. "I’m just trying to keep between the trees so I can hit it on the green,’’ Johnson said after a 73 left him at 2-under 142, still very much in the hun going into the weekend.
