AUGUSTA, GA. — No one is immune to humiliation at Augusta National.
Not past Masters champions.
Not former No. 1-ranked players.
No one.
On the second day of the 88th Masters, there was carnage thanks to blustery, swirling, gusty and tricky winds.
The result was a rash of stunning scores posted by some of the best in the world, many of whom missed the 36-hole cut.
The three men standing tallest, though hardly not battered and bruised themselves, were world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa, all of whom are 6-under entering the weekend.
The scoring average of 75.08 was the highest for the second round of the Masters since 2007, and it was only the fourth time in the last 30 years that it was higher than 75.
Brian Harman, the reigning British Open champion, shot a 47 on the back nine of his first round, which he completed on Friday because of the weather delay and darkness suspension Thursday.
He closed the round with three consecutive 6s — going 7-over on those final three holes — and finished with an 81, missing the cut by a country mile.
Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champion who came into the week in stellar form, went home early just like Harman after shooting 7-over for his two rounds.
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, watched his 2024 Masters circle the drain on his opening-round back nine Friday morning.
Spieth shot 79 in a round that was lowlighted by a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 15th hole.
Dustin Johnson, the 2020 November COVID-19 Masters champion who now plays on LIV Golf, was never in contention — to win again or make the cut.
He carded a 6-over 78 in his first round and it got no better in his second round, in which he posted a 79 to finish 13-over.
Bubba Watson, a two-time winner of the green jacket, finished 10-over thanks to an 8-over 80 in his second round.
Charl Schwartzel, another past champion, was never a factor as he finished 11-over.
Former Masters winners Sergio Garcia and Zach Johnson, the most recent U.S. Ryder Cup captain, both finished 7-over and missed the cut.
Johnson was so frustrated after a triple-bogey on the 12th hole, he was heard telling a spectator to “f–k off.’’
Yes, it was that kind of day at Augusta.
Harrowing for some.
Survival for others.
“That was about as happy as you could be to be off of a golf course,’’ Homa said after his second round. “That was so hard. We got the sand shower to end our day. So, it was kind of even the golf course saying, ‘Get the hell out of here.’ It was hard. Just being out in the wind for that long just got old.
“Even here, even at a place as amazing as this, you still … I was picturing my couch and the TV. Yeah, just wanted to be done. Just be inside. That’s all we were rooting for.’’
Now, Homa, who was paired with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds, will be rooting for something else: Winning his first major championship.
“The memory from today for me … will just be a lot of the Tiger stuff,’’ Homa said. “But I hope to build my own come this weekend.’’
Homa, one of the most positive souls you’ll ever meet, insisted he won’t succumb to the weekend major championship pressure.
“Yeah, it will be different tomorrow than at a [regular PGA] Tour event,’’ he said. “But I don’t know if you guys have seen ‘Hoosiers,’ but the hole size is the same for 18 of them, and I’m just going to try to do my best.’’
DeChambeau went from shooting a 7-under 65 in the first round Tuesday to hanging on for dear life on Friday in a 1-over 73.
“I’ve never experienced Augusta National in these conditions before,’’ he said.
In his next breath, DeChambeau was looking forward to the weekend, saying, “I’m very excited. I get an opportunity to show my skill set, and hopefully it’s good enough to do something special this weekend. I feel like the game is in a great spot. Mindset is in a solid place. I feel like everything is lining up pretty well.’’
DeChambeau said he’s “extremely’’ excited for the chance to go head-to-head with the likes of Scheffler, who’s the unquestioned best player in the world at the moment.
The two don’t get the chance to battle because DeChambeau is playing LIV Golf and Scheffler’s on the PGA Tour.
“He’s obviously the best player in the world, and it’s going to be a lot of fun competing and seeing what he can do compared to what the rest of the field can do, what I can do,’’ DeChambeau said. “I’m looking forward to it, I really am.”
The only thing none of the players playing this weekend will be looking forward to is more wind.
Their wishes should come true since the wind is forecast to subside Saturday and Sunday.