Big swings at Augusta

Fred Couples spent most of Thursday looking like Augusta National’s favorite time machine, then one hole turned his round inside out. The 66-year-old reached the par-5 15th at 2 under par, made a 9 after two balls found the water, and fell from the top 10 into the pack before the round was over. (usatoday.com) That kind of swing is normal only at a place built to punish one bad decision with three more. Augusta National is a par-72 course where the closing stretch includes the 15th, a hole that offers eagle chances if you attack and big numbers if your second shot comes up short near the pond. (espn.com) (usatoday.com) Couples was not hanging around by nostalgia alone. He was playing his 41st Masters and had already become the oldest player to make the cut here at age 63 in 2023, which is why another under-par start at 66 immediately pulled attention back to him. (golfweek.usatoday.com) (espn.com) Then the course reminded everyone that Augusta does not care about age, résumé, or sentiment. ESPN’s scorecard shows Couples played the first nine in 34, then came home in 44, with the 9 on 15 followed by a 5 on 16 and a 6 on 17 for an opening 78. (espn.com) The same first round squeezed Collin Morikawa from a different direction. Morikawa opened with a 74, called it the toughest round he has ever played, and finished Thursday close enough to the projected cut line that Friday became less about chasing leaders and more about surviving to the weekend. (pgatour.com) (usatoday.com) Morikawa’s score came with a physical explanation, not just a golfing one. He arrived at Augusta after a back injury that had sidelined him since The Players Championship, and he said before the week that he was taking his recovery day by day. (pgatour.com) (cbssports.com) By late Thursday, the projected cut line was hovering around 3 over par, which left players at 2 over and worse with almost no room to waste shots on Friday. That is why a 74 at Augusta can feel heavier than it looks on paper: one more crooked hole can end the week before the weekend starts. (sportingnews.com) (usatoday.com) So Thursday at the Masters was not just about who led after 18 holes. It was also about how quickly Augusta can turn a feel-good round into a cleanup job, whether you are a 66-year-old former champion trying to steal one more afternoon or a two-time major winner trying to prove his body will let him stay. (usatoday.com) (pgatour.com)