Henley gets hot on Friday at the Masters, improbably rallies to get on the cut line, but a bogey - by 10 inches - on 18 ended his weekend (updated)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
If Russell Henley mumbled an unprintable after his first hole Friday morning, it was quite understandable.
His sixth bogey in 19 holes.
Things got better, much better. And then, improbably, he had to wait instead of pack.
Henley’s day ended around 2:45 p.m. after he stormed – compared to Thursday’s bad storm - through the course with a 4-under 68, a full 11 shots better than Thursday, Henley heading to the clubhouse on the fringe of making it.
He spent a few holes inside the line as it continued to fluctuate, and was temporarily outside of it when he finished. Scores of players were still on their front nine. And then came the waiting.
Alas, the cut line – top 50 players and ties - locked in at 2 over for the afternoon, and Henley didn’t get enough help.
At 6 p.m., he was tied five others at 3 over, with two still playing, and six others at 1 over and 2 over on the course.
But his bogey on 18 proved fatal, and Henley went from in to out, as it turned out, because of that hole.
After birdies on half of the holes from 8 to 17, Henley needed at least a par to be somewhat safe. His second shot went into the sand, and he didn’t get nearly enough on his third shot, needing to hit a 19-footer for par.
He came up 10 inches short, and hours later, realized that he was 10 inches from advancing.
Thursday was brutal, with five bogeys and a double bogey countered by no birdies.
“I'm never really that calm,” he said in his first media session of the week. “I might look like it, but I'm never really that calm. I'm a pretty nervous person. Yesterday just was terrible. It was such a tough day. Really stunk to start out my first day like that.
“I really wanted to come play well today. I knew I could do it, so hopefully it's good enough to play the weekend.”
Almost.
Henley was back in form on Friday, bearing little resemblance to the 7-over first round.
He had to be, or there’d be some packing Friday night and traveling Saturday. His 68 ties his second-best Masters score.
“I just felt like I was thinking a little bit less and just playing golf and hitting shots a little bit more,” he said. “Still a slow start with a bogey on 1, but definitely felt like I was giving myself more birdie looks and kind of had a little bit more flow to the round than yesterday.
“Just technically I think I had a couple things I was trying to do in my swing, or in my setup really, and I just think I was overthinking and not thinking as much about the shot.”
Henley broke his birdie-free slump on par 3 No. 4, which he bogeyed Friday, and added another at par 4 No. 8, with putts of four and eight feet.
He was an inch off on a birdie putt on No. 9, leaving him at 1 under for the day at the turn and 6 over for the tournament, tied for 81st.
At that point, around 12:30 p.m., the fluctuating cutline was 2 over, and 59 players were at that point, so Henley had plenty of work to do, and plenty of luck needed.
He almost got some of the latter when his shot 196 yards from the pin on No. 10 went 195 yards, barely missing a huge eagle.
Henley followed a nice par start to Amen Corner on 11 with a birdie on 12, his tee shot coming within two feet of an ace.
Now, suddenly, Henley was within range of the cut line.
A sweet wedge on 13 set him up for a 5-foot birdie, his third in four holes and fourth in six. That put him at 3 over for the tournament, within two shots of the 1-over cut.
That line soon moved back to 2 over, Henley tied for 61st, 12 players knotted up at 49th and 2 over.
He barely missed a 17-foot birdie try on 14 and 18-footer on 15, but got one on par 3 16 – which was a double bogey on Thursday - to get within one of the cut, 1 over at that point.
Just like that, it changed again, and Henley was inside the line, tied for 50th.
He couldn’t quite finish the day stress-free, though, his second shot on 18 finding a bunker and then just missing an 18-foot par putt, ending the day as he started, with a bogey.
The cut line changed again, back to 1 over, putting Henley back on the outside for the time being.
On-the-air projections were then that the cut line would likely be at 3 over, but that never happened as players turned in stable performances and finished, not giving the five players at 3 over a chance.
Henley spoke to the media not long after finishing, and a long time before anything was determined.
“To miss the cut, it would suck,” he said. “I don't want to miss it. But at the same time, I mean, I feel very blessed. To play this game and … I've already won one of the biggest tournaments on the PGA Tour this year, and so I've been playing well.
“There's a lot to be thankful for. I'm healthy and I feel good and I feel like I can play some good golf this year. No matter what, I feel like I'm in a great spot.”