Brooks Koepka leads Masters as trees fall amid weather-impacted second round
AUGUSTA, Ga. — On a day when Brooks Koepka was running away from the field, patrons at the Masters found themselves scurrying from three towering trees crashing to the ground.
Rain and swirling winds Friday afternoon caused three Georgia pines to fall near the 17th tee box at Augusta National, narrowly missing the scattering spectators but flattening several chairs. It was a frightening reminder of how quickly a situation can turn tragic.
Tournament officials immediately suspended play — for the second time that afternoon, actually — and ultimately decided to scuttle competition for the day. The second round is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday, although rain began to pour after the course was closed Friday night.
It proved to be a good day for Koepka, the four-time major champion who teed off in the morning and shot a bogey-free round of 67, following a 65 on Thursday. He is atop the leaderboard at 12 under, with Jon Rahm second at nine under through nine holes. Amateur Sam Bennett matched his opening-round 68 and is third at eight under.
Counting Friday, adverse weather has led to schedule adjustments in five consecutive Masters.
Heading into this year’s tournament, there had been rain in 47 of the first 86 Masters, with eight days postponed. Four of those days were made up by scheduling 36 holes in one day: 1936, 1938, 1939 and 2003.
The last time the Masters spilled into a Monday was 1983.
As for Koepka, he’s pleased with the overall condition of his game.
“I feel really good,” Koepka told reporters. “I like the way I’m swinging the golf club, putting it, chipping it, driving it, iron play is solid.”
It’s a far cry from Friday at the Masters last year, when he had three bogeys in his final five holes to miss the cut by two. He was so frustrated he tried to punch out the back window of his courtesy car before leaving the course. He doubled there, too — two punches, no shattered glass.
“Yeah, apparently not strong enough,” said Koepka, built like a linebacker. “It was just right outside the — whatever you want to call it, the caddie hut or whatever. The ride home was pretty silent. I think just a lot of frustration. I guess Mercedes makes a pretty good back window.”
In the Augusta National pro shop is a door that leads to a room filled by the storied green jackets unseen by non-members until the L.A. Times was given exclusive access.
With foul weather in the forecast for Saturday, it could be even more difficult for the field to chase down Koepka, who Friday played the par-5 holes in five under and has regained the power he had lost while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery over the last two years.
Only recently has he regained the strength, flexibility and trust in his knee to squat to read putts and generate power with his lower body.
“When my knee was messed up, I was afraid to get back on it to load it …” he said. “The awkward lies were not fun. But now it’s so much easier to load, get that full turn or rotation going back.”
Koepka said he’s close to the way he was playing in 2019, when he had four wins, including the PGA Championship, and finished tied for second at the Masters.
The Masters and Augusta National, a tradition like no other, has inspired golf fans to recreate the holes and scenes in backyards all over the country.
“I’ve got a completely different knee, so the normal is a little bit different,” he said. “But swing-wise, it still feels the same. I’m able to do everything I need to. And the confidence is there. The confidence was lost just because of my knee and that was it.”
Koepka made waves with his defection to LIV Golf last year, and with a victory in Orlando last week became the first two-time individual winner on the Saudi-backed golf tour. After that win, he conceded he missed competing against Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, but Friday said there’s no tension among them.
“I think there’s probably, what, six of us that live probably within a quarter mile of each other,” said Koepka, whose home is in Jupiter, Fla. “So we end up running into each other a good bit. But it’s just competitively where you miss playing against them.
“Because you want Rory to play his best, and you want Scottie to play his best, and Jon [Rahm] to play his best and go toe-to-toe with them. I do miss that, and that’s what I think makes these majors so cool.”
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