Tiger Woods has penned one other superb chapter in his storied profession with a record-breaking twenty fourth consecutive reduce made on the Masters.
The 15-times main winner dragged his battered 48-year-old physique round Augusta Nationwide for 23 holes on Friday in a mighty show of psychological and bodily resolve to earn one other weekend tee time.
As Woods secured two extra days of play, Cam Davis held his nerve to upstage his more-fancied Australian compatriots and surge into competition throughout the windswept Masters.
After beginning the day at 1-under by way of 13 holes of his opening spherical, Woods dropped two pictures to submit a 1-over 73.
With the attention of a tiger, he then carved out an even-par second-round 72 in howling winds as the group rode his each shot.
On a day when pars have been like gold, a thunderous “Tiger roar” reverberated across the course when he chipped in for birdie from the collar of a bunker on the par-3 sixth.
Additional birdies on the third, eighth and fifteenth holes offset bogeys on 4, 5 and quantity 14 as Woods eclipsed the reduce document he beforehand shared with Fred {Couples} and Gary Participant.
The previous world primary — who had solely two aggressive rounds since final 12 months’s Masters — has now made the reduce at Augusta each time he is entered since first profitable, by a document 12 pictures, in 1997.
At 1-over for the event, and eight strokes behind mid-round on-course pacesetter Bryson DeChambeau, Woods will nonetheless imagine he can land a record-equalling sixth inexperienced jacket on Sunday.
Davis backed up his opening 3-under-par 69 with a steely second-round 72 on Friday to briefly seize the clubhouse lead at golf’s first main championship of the 12 months.
The Sydneysider climbed to 5-under and to inside two pictures of first-round chief DeChambeau at one level earlier than making a double bogey on the par-4 seventh gap.
Davis flayed his drive proper into the bushes, chipped out on to the golf green after which dumped his third right into a bunker.
He additionally rued placing by way of the inexperienced on the par-5 thirteenth for a second six of the day earlier than bouncing again with a stunning birdie on 15 and clutch up-and-down par on the final.
As howling winds induced havoc amongst the afternoon starters, the previous Australian Open champion was sitting fairly 4 strokes behind American DeChambeau when he signed his scorecard.
“I really feel like I put in my arduous work. I am comfortable to place my ft up this afternoon,” Davis stated.
“It is a good take a look at on the market proper now. I really feel like pars are good scores.
“There are a couple of alternatives, if you happen to do hit some good tee pictures and good approaches into a few of the slopes, that may enable you to out.
“Yeah, I had a few stumbles however I felt like I battled properly and made some good putts to maintain the momentum.”
Davis loved the clubhouse lead for 95 minutes till younger Dane Nicolai Hojgaard (73) pipped him at 4-under.
Huge gun Cameron Smith remained the subsequent finest Australian at 1-under early in his second spherical.
Taking part in with Woods, Jason Day was preventing to make the reduce.
Day was at 3-over, the place he began the spherical, after returning early on Friday morning to finish his opener after which again up for his second spherical.
Resuming at even par by way of 13 holes, he double-bogeyed the sixteenth after dumping his ball into the water, then dropped one other shot on the final after slicing his tee shot into the bushes.
However he stayed regular to remain within the hunt, as did Min Woo Lee, who was additionally 3-over however solely by way of six holes.
Adam Scott, nonetheless Australia’s solely ever Masters winner, was 5-over with two holes remaining and desperately needing a birdie to have any hope of securing a weekend tee spot. Nevertheless, he bogeyed 18 to complete 6-over.
AAP
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