Golf
Michael Collins, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Michael Collins' Round 2 Masters grades

Golf

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Friday on the PGA Tour is called cut day. This Friday at Augusta National, with the weather conditions, could have been called "HANG ON FOR DEAR LIFE DAY!"

Cool temperatures, gusty winds and green speeds that came close to Mach 1 meant that in order to make a great grade, players would need their best stuff. Did they have it? Read for yourself.

Jason Day

Grade: C-
World ranking: No. 1
Score: 72-73 (+1)

He hit more fairways than in the first round, so in theory, you'd think Day would have hit more greens. Au contraire mon frère! He told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi that he's playing OK, but that it feels almost like a U.S. Open. Hopefully tomorrow he can putt like Retief Goosen used to.


Jordan Spieth

Grade: C-
World ranking: No. 2
Score: 66-74 (-4)

Spieth played like he looked -- uncomfortable. After a four-putt double-bogey on the sixth hole, Spieth seemed like he was grinding hard to keep it together. From the ninth hole in, it was like trying to hold a fist. Wind caused too much indecision and he got warned for taking too long.


Rory McIlroy

Grade: B+
World ranking: No. 3
Score: 70-71 (-3)

McIlroy started off with a bang, then he looked like he could just mail it in, but a great fight on the back nine put him in the position he wants to be in: within a shot of the lead. You might think a B+ is high for a guy who shot minus-1 for the day, but the conditions here were so tough, it made me glad I wasn't caddying.


Bubba Watson

Grade: F
World ranking: No. 4
Score: 75-75 (+6)

A good round (70 or better) could have gotten Watson in contention. Instead, the wheels fell off. At one point on the back nine, Watson was plus-8 for the tournament. He limped in to finish 6 over, and made the cut only because of the 10-shot rule.


Rickie Fowler

Grade: C
World ranking: No. 5
Score: 80-73 (+9)

Fowler was behind the 8-ball from the first shot of the day, so he had to take some chances. Where that first round came from, no one knows. But on Friday, his stats for fairways and greens were the exact same as Thursday, yet his score was seven strokes better. Unfortunately, a guy people thought would contend this year is going home for the weekend.


Henrik Stenson

Grade: D+
World ranking: No. 6
Score: 72-75 (+3)

One birdie on the four par-5s? Not acceptable in any weather condition. And Stenson played late when the wind started to lay down a little. He hit 13 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, which means his putting is again an issue. Stenson made it to the weekend, but I want to see some big putting improvement for him to get a passing grade on Saturday.


Adam Scott

Grade: B
World ranking: No. 7
Score: 76-72 (+4)

Much better on GIRs and in fairways hit, plus Scott didn't have one three-putt. He did have the same amount of putts as Round 1, but when you hit greens you're going to two-putt more as well. A first-round 4 over may leave him too far back to contend, but a backdoor top-10 is not out of the question. His only bad percentage was being 0-for-2 in sand saves.


Dustin Johnson

Grade: A
World ranking: No. 8
Score: 73-71 (E)

DJ gets the A for grinding and because he and McIlroy were the only players in the top 10 under par for the day. When Johnson made bogey on 11 to get to plus-2, he could have "shut it down" like he can sometimes do, but he fought and scratched his way to finishing even par, which means he's got a legit shot to win this thing with solid performances Saturday and Sunday.


Justin Rose

Grade: D
World ranking: No. 9
Score: 69-77 (+2)

Golf is hard. But Rose is a major champion. So while the scoring average for the field was 75.13, a recent major champion shouldn't be shooting 77. Both his fairway and green percentages went down compared to the first round.


Patrick Reed

Grade: D+
World ranking: No. 10
Score: 76-73 (+5)

Nothing makes me more disappointed then a guy who plays a great front nine, then throws it away on the back. After the eagle on the eighth hole, Reed was at plus-1 overall (minus-3 for the round) and poised to make a move. A back-nine 40 ruined it. He'll play the weekend but is too far back to matter.


Danny Lee

Grade: B-
World ranking: No. 38
Score: 68-74 (-2)

I can hear the screaming already and I don't care. In Round 2 Lee hit more fairways and more greens than he did Thursday, but these were tougher conditions. I'm impressed by the guy's moxie, especially since this is his first Masters as a professional.


Phil Mickelson

Grade: F
World ranking: No. 18
Score: 72-79 (+7)

Mickelson is no longer permitted to say "I feel like my game is right there," because it's not there, or over there, or over there! It's on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean sightseeing. Eight bogeys and three double-bogeys for the tournament (all in the second round) and those who dreamed Phil would thrill again at Augusta can hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.


Ian Woosnam

Grade: F
World ranking: No. 1743
Score: 82-81 (+19)

Woosnam announced earlier in the week this would be his last Masters. He should've quit before shooting 82-81. Ian hasn't broken par since 2008 and he's listed at 5-foot-4, which means I'm 6-foot-2 (actually 5-foot-5). Most importantly, when you shut it down, going out in second-to-last place is not how to do it.


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