Lee Westwood usually doesn’t beat himself at Augusta National Golf Club.
Just when it appeared he would cruise home with at least a share of the lead in Friday’s second round, he double-bogeyed the par-4 18th for the first time in 13 Masters starts and fell out of the lead at 4-under 140.
“I’m not going to be too far off the lead,” he said in a terse interview session afterward. “That’s a position you want to be in.”
Westwood (73) held the 18-hole lead after shooting 67 on Thursday.
He parred his first 10 holes Friday before missing the fairway right at No. 11, leading to a bogey. However, he recovered with a birdie at No. 12, then went to 6-under with a birdie at No. 15. He had a one-shot lead at the time, then was tied briefly with Jason Dufner before Dufner bogeyed No. 18.
However, Westwood did Dufner one stroke higher at the last. Westwood missed the 18th green to the left and popped a wedge over the bunker, with the ball checking up eight feet from the hole. He three-putted from there (his second of the tournament) for the double.
“It’s a lot more breeze, which makes it play tougher,” he said. “The greens are obviously drying out and getting a bit faster. And you know the wind can play havoc with some of the second shots.”
