Of the six players in the Masters with Georgia ties, four made the cut; with former Masters champion Larry Mize missing by just one shot at the age of 54. Fellow former champion Zach Johnson opened with a 69, but struggled in difficult conditions the second round and ended up in the middle of the pack at 3-over 291.
Defending champion Bubba Watson needed seven second-round birdies for a 73 to make the cut on the number, and was the first man out Saturday, playing with Augusta National member Jeff Knox, one of the state’s top amateur players. Watson had six birdies on the day and shot 70, but took a 10 on the 12th hole Sunday and shot 77, playing the other 17 holes in 2-under.
Russell Henley, an ex-Georgia Bulldogs like Watson and Knox, shot 72 in his first ever Masters round, but missed the cut after a tough day on Friday.
Stewart Cink was headed for a missed cut before closing his second round with four straight birdies to shoot 71 and make it to the weekend with two strokes to spare. Cink was under par in the third round until a double bogey at the 18th left him with a 73. He was 3-under in the final round until closing with bogeys at 17 and 18, finishing with a 71 and a 2-over 290 total, tying for 25th. It was his best Masters finish since tying for 3rd in 2008.
The best Masters showing by a Georgian was turned in by Matt Kuchar, who backed up his tie for 3rd last year in Augusta with a tie for 8th. Kuchar, who starred at Georgia Tech and lives on St. Simons Island, posted scores of 68 and 69 around a 75 on Friday, and began the final round in 6th place, three behind the leaders. Two bogeys in the first four holes Sunday dropped Kuchar from contention, and he went on to shoot a 73 for a 3-under 285 total.