Friday's 5 things from The Masters: Spieth comes back to pack; wind wreaks havoc - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Reporting from The Masters: Spieth comes back to pack; wind wreaks havoc Jordan Spieth found trouble off the first tee and dropped back to the pack with a double-bogey to open his round at The Masters on Friday. Photo by Todd Bennett/Augusta Chronicle Friday Apr 6, 2018 at 9:40 AM Apr 6, 2018 at 11:25 AM Tim Schmitt/GateHouse Media With rain and chilly temperatures in the weekend forecast, Friday morning seemed an opportune time for the field at The Masters to take advantage of Augusta National. Hasn't happened. In fact, a tricky wind continued to tighten the leaderboard through the early afternoon as Jordan Spieth opened with a pair of rough holes, and others like Matt Kuchar and Rory McIlroy slipped slightly, but stayed near the top of the scoresheet. Here's a link to the entire leaderboard. And here are a few storylines we're watching as the second round heats up: 1. It's a wide-open race as Spieth comes back to the pack The worst thing that happened to Jordan Spieth was nightfall on Thursday. After he got red-hot on the back nine through the first round, Spieth went 3-over on the first two holes of Friday's action. He pushed his opening drive right, then hit a second shot from the dirt that dribbled shy of the fairway. Watch the whole debacle right here. He added another bogey on the second hole, and yet another on No. 7. The one saving grace for Spieth was the rest of the field didn't fare much better. Kuchar, Bernd Wiesberger and Rory McIlroy all slipped a bit, but still stayed near or at the top. 2. Beginning of Amen Corner is anything but peaceful It takes a slight fade to hit the fairway, then a solid iron that flirts with a pond running along the left side of the green. Oh, and it's just 505 yards in four strokes. Sound fun? Than you'll love White Dogwood, the opening to Amen Corner, long considered one of the most beautiful, but dangerous stretches in golf. The hole continues to play tough on Friday and Augusta Chronicle Sports Editor John Boyette explains in this piece what makes the hole such a pain in players' sides. 3. Tiger and Phil are still around, even if they're not making noise As with others who were fighting the wind, Tiger Woods get off to a slow start on Friday, dropping a shot on the first hole. Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson dropped like a rock in the middle of the round, posting a triple-bogey on No. 9 and a double on No. 12. He still was within a half-dozen shots of the leaders as of  2 p.m. (ET), though. Here's a full slideshow of the day's action, including a shot of Phil dropping from a ball on No. 9. 4. Who will make the cut? And how is that figured? With a tight field, there could be a lot of folks still playing on the weekend. Wondering how the cut is determined, and who made it the most times in a row? Have some fun with this quick look at five things you need to know about the cut. Bonus (5). Westin reflects on 40 years of covering the tournament For a newbie like myself, I can tell you the media members like to talk about two things — the food they love to consume here, and the veteran writers who have been associated with the event seemingly forever. David Westin fits the second bill, as he was honored this week for covering The Masters for 40 years. This is a great piece in the Augusta Chronicle that Westin penned about some of his traditions. What am I most impressed by? He gets his own parking spot, complete with nameplate.  Tweets by TMSGateHouse