Kiradech Aphibarnrat made a birdie on the last hole on Friday that kept him in the Masters golf tournament for the weekend, instead of heading home with head down. He is the first Thai to make the cut at the first major of the year, with a two-round score of 5-over par 149, which was also the cut line.

 

 

 

 

After a bad opening round of five over par 79 on Thursday, it seemed unlikely that Kiradech could bounce back at the tough August National course.

 

And Friday's round did not start well, as he bogeyed the par-3 third hole, making it even more unlikely that he could make the cut and play with the elite golfers on the weekend.

 

 

But he plugged away, getting back to even par with a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole. At the turn, he bogeyed the 10th hole, but then, on the 13th, eagled the par-5 hole. The drama came on the final hole, a 465-yard par 4. On the green in two, Kiradech drilled the putt he needed to enable him to play on Saturday and Sunday, finishing with a 2-under par 70.

 

 

Meanwhile, Patrick Reed is halfway home to his first major championship. Reed shot a 6-under 66 in the second round of the Masters on Friday, moving to 9 under for the tournament and giving him a 2-shot lead over Marc Leishman heading into the third round.

 

 

 

                                        Reed is seeking his first major title 

 

 

"I kept myself out of trouble and allowed my putter to do the work," Reed said.

 

Reed and Leishman will be the final pairing Saturday at Augusta National, with the weather forecast calling for steady rain throughout the day. Both Reed and Leishman are seeking their first major title.

 

 

Henrik Stenson (70) was four shots behind. Rory McIlroy (71) is off to his best 36-hole start in seven years and is looking as poised as ever to capture the fourth leg of the career Grand Slam. Jordan Spieth lost his two-shot lead on the first hole and was on the verge of getting left behind until he made a key par putt to close the front nine with a 40, and then he salvaged a 74 to join McIlroy just five shots behind.

 

 

Looming was Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, who made a 45-foot par putt on the 16th to atone for several birdie putts in the 10-foot range that he missed. Johnson had a 68 and was six shots behind, along with PGA champion Justin Thomas, who had a 67.

 

 

Eleven of the 17 players still under par at the halfway point can be found among the top 20 in the world.

 

 

Tiger Woods did enough in Friday's second round of the Masters to reach the weekend. Now the question becomes: Can he find another gear to move into contention?

 

 

 

 

                                        Tiger Woods at the Masters making his presence felt

 

 

Woods shot a 3-over 75 at Augusta National, equaling his highest second-round score in his Masters career. A couple of par-5 birdies allowed him to safely stay inside the cutline. But at 4 over for the first two days, he's tied for 40th and 13 shots behind leader Patrick Reed.

 

 

Simply making the cut doesn't seem like much of an achievement for the four-time Masters champ, but Woods did not dismiss the significance of it.

 

 

"Putting it in perspective, six months ago I didn't know if I'd be playing golf," he said after his round. "Forget playing at the TOUR level, I didn't know if I ever be playing again. But it's incredible for have the opportunity again, to still come out here and play this golf course.