First Timers Stay Strong:
Masters Rookies Thomas Pieters, William McGirt, and Jon Rahm continue to have a strong showing through the Second Round.  Pieters is tied for the lead at -4 after firing a -4 68 on Friday.  Two shots back is William McGirt, who fell back 1 shot from his opening round 69 with a +1 73 today.  And Rahm crept into the mix today with a 70 to get to within 3 shots of the lead after 2 rounds.

It will be very interesting to see if they can stay focused and continue their march up the leaderboard.

Veterans Showing Experience Pays Off:
Sergio Garcia (-3 Friday), Rickie Fowler (-5), Ryan Moore (-3), and the amazing Fred Couples (-2) made big moves today and all are within 3 shots of the lead heading into Moving Day tomorrow.

Fowler shot the low round of the day with a 67 that featured an Eagle on 2, 4 birdies, and 1 bogey.

The Weather Trickled Off in the Afternoon:
The winds, which wreaked havoc on the course during Thursday’ opening round, stayed strong into this morning’s round.  Aside from the obvious challenge of flighting their shots, the players had to deal with the course drying out as the winds swept through Augusta.

The weekend’s forecast calls for almost perfect weather for the final 2 rounds.

No MAJOR Cuts:
None of the game’s best players missed the cut, in my opinion.  Three names do stand out: 2-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson continued his struggles in 2017.  2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson missed his second consecutive Masters cut – for the first time in his career.

Patrick Reed, currently 13th on the World Golf Rankings, shot 76-77 to miss the cut by 3 shots.  The Augusta University product could not get his putter going this week, just like he struggled during last week’s Shell Houston Open.

This weekend will be EPIC:
No, this is not a paid advertisement for Callaway Golf.  It is my giddiness showing up as this weekend promises to be one of the better finishes in recent memory at Augusta.  Great names are sprinkled throughout the Leaderboard, with Mickelson, Spieth, McIlroy laying in the weeds.

Who is going to make the biggest moves Saturday?  CBS coverage begins at 3PM EST.  Make sure you’re watching!