New York Post - USA (2020-11-14)

New York Post, Saturday, November 14, 2020

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Rory rebounds with second-round 66

By Mark Cannizzaro

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory

McIlroy was on his way

out, his sixth try at com-

pleting the career Grand

Slam seemingly halted be-

fore the weekend.

McIlroy, who needs just a

Masters victory to become

the sixth player ever to win

all four major champion-

ships, shot 75 in his opening

round, which was com-

pleted Friday. At one point,

he hit his tee shot into the

middle of the water on the

170-yard par-3 16th.

He looked a mess.

Then McIlroy rallied to

shoot a 6-under 66 in his

second round Friday — a

nine-shot swing — and is

3-under through 36 holes,

still in touch with the lead

at 9-under.

McIlroy said he received

encouragement from friend

and Augusta member Jimmy

Dunn between his first and

second rounds.

“Jimmy Dunn gave me a

pep talk between rounds go-

ing on to the range,’’ McIl-

roy said. “I honestly have

been playing so good com-

ing in here, and I go into the

first round and shoot 75 and

I’m like, ‘Where the hell did

that come from?’

“I knew it was in there, it

was just a matter of trusting

a little more and being com-

mitted. It was better [in the

second round].’’

Asked what Dunn’s pep

talk was like, McIlroy said,

“It was colorful.’’

“I turned it around nicely

and shot a good one, at

least gave myself a chance

going into the weekend,’’

McIlroy said.

➤Maybe someone needs

to remind Bernhard

Langer the Masters is not

a Champions Tour event.

The forever-young 63-

year-old German, who has

dominated the senior cir-

cuit like no other player in

history, is not out of con-

tention to win the green

jacket for the third time.

Langer, who’s playing in

his 37th Masters and won in

1985 and 1993, is 3-under en-

tering the weekend, just six

shots out of the lead. Langer

making the cut overtook

Tommy Aaron as the old-

est player ever to do so.

When informed of that

he was the oldest player to

make the Masters cut,

Langer said, “How about

that? I’ll drink to that.’’

Asked what he’s drinking,

he said, “Shandy.’’

“There have been so many

great players here before

me, including Jack Nick-

laus to Gary Player to all

the greats that have com-

peted here, and to be the

oldest to make the cut, it’s

certainly an achievement,’’

Langer said. “Hopefully, I

get to play a few more years

and enjoy this place.’’

➤Adam Scott got a terri-

ble break Friday when his

approach shot to No. 15 hit

the flag stick and rebounded

into Rae’s Creek, leading a

double bogey.

The same thing hap-

pened to Tiger Woods on

that hole in the second

round of the 2013 Masters,

which Scott won.

“Unfortunately, I think we

hit the wrong club there, but

then compound that with a

bad break,’’ Scott said. “It was

a good shot. I think I was

making a par and ended up

making a good double. I’ve

seen that happen before on

the 15th hole [Woods]. I was

nervous then when I was hit-

ting my sixth shot because

the 6 can turn to 8, and it can

spiral really out of control.’’

Scott ended up shooting

72 in his second round and

is 2-under for the week.

“It’s such a momentum-

killer,’’ Scott said. “If I’d

managed to make a 4 there

and be 5-under for the tour-

nament, the momentum is

really going and you just

never know.’’

MASTERS

NOTES

IN THE MIX: Phil

Mickelson, hitting his

tee shot on the

seventh hole Friday,

is 5-under entering

the weekend and

four shots behind the

leaders. EPA

By Mark Cannizzaro

AUGUSTA, Ga. —

Through 36 holes, Phil

Mickelson is in position to

win his fourth Masters,

which would tie his idol, Ar-

nold Palmer, for four green

jackets.

Mickelson is 5-under, four

shots behind the leaders at

9-under, but he believes he

should be in much better

position entering the week-

end — if not for his balky

putter.

“I’m striking the ball ex-

ceptional, and I’m putting

horrific,’’ Mickelson said

Friday. “If I get that fixed

this weekend, I’m going to

make a run. I’m very frus-

trated and disappointed

with the way I’ve putted.

I’ve let eight, nine, 10 shots

on the green, and it’s pa-

thetic. I’m going to fix that

and hopefully make a run.

“You can’t make those

mistakes, give those shots

up in this field, in this com-

petition. But we’ve got 36

more holes, and I’m playing

well enough. I struck it well

enough to keep me in it de-

spite probably being last in

the field in putting. But I’m

going to get that fixed for

[Saturday’s] round.’’

Mickelson, who’s 50 and

has struggled of late on the

PGA Tour, has won the two

Champions Tour events he’s

played recently. Always in

pursuit of hitting the ball

longer, Mickelson put a 47-

inch driver in his bag for

this week (the average on

Tour is about 45 inches).

Asked how he feels he’s

driving the ball, Mickelson

was not bashful.

“Awesome,’’ he said. “I’m

driving like a stallion.’’

Asked for examples, he

said, “I’m driving it over the

trees on [number] 9 all the

way down to the bottom,

hitting wedge into 17, wedge

into 14, 5-iron both days into

[number] 2. I mean, I’m

driving the ball very well.

I’m hitting the ball great,

and I’m putting awful. I’ve

been putting well this year,

and if I get this fixed for the

weekend, I’m going to make

a run.’’

Asked what his plans were

to fix his putting, which pro-

duced several lip-outs on

short par putts on Friday,

Mickelson said, “I’m going

to go get on a Quintic sys-

tem right now and see if it’s

alignment or stroke or path

or what.’’

Stay tuned. If he gets the

putting fixed, it could be an

epic weekend. Jack Nicklaus

is the oldest player ever to

win a Masters, winning in

1986 at age 46. Mickelson is

four years older than that

and still feeling as frisky as a

“stallion.’’