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SPORTSSaturday 8 April 2017
Rickie Fowler joins 4-way tie at the top in Masters
DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rick-
ie Fowler finally got to the
top of the leaderboard in
a major and didn’t have
much of a view.
Right next to him was Char-
ley Hoffman, playing in
the final group going into
the weekend at the Mas-
ters for the second time in
three years. Sergio Garcia
knew the score when no
one else did and had his
first share of the lead in his
19th time playing Augusta
National. Not to be over-
looked was Thomas Pieters
of Belgium, a real threat to
become the first Masters
rookie since 1979 to leave
with a green jacket.
And those were just the co-
leaders in the largest 36-
hole logjam at the Masters
in 44 years.
Even more daunting were
the players lined up behind
them — Jordan Spieth and
Phil Mickelson among four
Masters champions, Olym-
pic gold medalist Justin
Rose, Spanish rookie sen-
sation Jon Rahm and Rory
McIlroy, missing only this
major for the career Grand

Rickie Fowler hits from a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the Masters golf The wind began to sub-
tournament Friday, April 7, 2017, in Augusta, Ga. side as the pines cast long
shadows across the course
Associated Press late in the afternoon, and
the forecast is close to per-
Slam. some of golf’s biggest stars. collar of the 16th green. fection for the rest of the
“It’s going to be a fun In conditions just as de- Garcia, playing his 70th weekend, with mild tem-
weekend,” Fowler said af- manding as the opening consecutive major and peratures and hardly any
ter a 5-under 67, the best round, Fowler holed out a still looking for that first vic- wind.
score of another wind- bunker shot for eagle on tory to define an otherwise That won’t make it any
swept day. “We’re going his second hole, quickly strong career, wasn’t the less exhausting, not with 15
to see a lot of good golf moved into the lead pack least bit bothered by see- players separated by only
and battle it out.” and secured his spot in a ing the wrong score for five shots.
Two days of survival gives share of the lead with a him on a leaderboard be- The last time there was a
way to a shootout among tricky birdie putt from the hind the 13th green when four-way tie for the lead
a penalty for a lost ball at the halfway point of the
was mistakenly attributed Masters was in 1973, when
to him. He bounced back Bob Dickson, Gay Brewer,
from a bogey behind the J.C. Snead and Tommy
13th green by firing a 3-iron Aaron were tied at 3-un-
across the water and into der 141. Aaron went on to
the wind to the 15th green claim his only green jacket.
for a two-putt birdie. He Hoffman had a chance
shot a 69. to keep his distance until
Pieters moved to the top he ran off five bogeys in a
by hitting off the pine straw six-hole stretch, including
and over a tributary of a three-putt from 4 feet at
Rae’s Creek to 12 feet for the par-5 eighth.
eagle on No. 13, and he “Everybody was talking
followed with a wedge about how great that
to 4 feet for birdie on the round was yesterday, but
14th to shoot 68. Hoffman it was pretty easy to me —
lost his four-shot lead in 11 making putts, hitting good,
holes before he steadied solid golf shots,” Hoffman
himself the rest of the way said. “Today I think I sort
and limited the damage to of felt how hard it was for
a 75. The leaders were at everybody else in this wind
4-under 140. when you got out of posi-
Hoffman will be in the final tion.”
group going into the week- Garcia only really got out
end at the Masters for the of position on the score-
second time in three years, board.
with one big difference. His tee shot on No. 10
Two years ago, Hoffman clipped a tree and shot
was five shots behind Spi- back into the fairway, while
eth in what turned out Shane Lowry also hit a tree
to be a runaway for the and couldn’t find it. Both
young Texan. were wearing dark sweat-
This time, the Masters ap- ers during the search, and
pears to be up for grabs. the scorers were confused
with who lost the ball. Gar-
cia made bogey, drop-
ping him to 3 under. A few
holes later, however, it was
changed to 1 under on the
scoreboard, and Garcia
pointed to the board be-
hind the 13th green.
It eventually was fixed,
though that was of no con-
cern to the 37-year-old
Spaniard.
“The most important thing
is I knew where I stood,”
Garcia said.
And he knows the score
that everyone talks about
— 70 majors as a pro with-
out a victory, and enough
close calls to make him
wonder if he’ll ever get it
done.