Masters 2016 Results: Biggest Winners and Losers After Cut Day

While Augusta National Golf Club has looked as beautiful as ever on television over the last two days, many Masters competitors likely weren't enjoying the scenery.

The Masters 2016 cut line fell at six over par. The average cut over the last six years at Augusta National has been just over three strokes over par. In other words, blustery conditions, tricky pin locations and slippery greens battered the Masters invitees. Even front-running Jordan Spieth fell victim to above-par scoring in the second round.

Amid calculations, club changes and switches in wind direction, there was little time to stop and smell the azaleas.  

Take a look at the official leaderboard on Masters.com...and Oh! The horror! Hardly a red number to be seen anywhere for the second round: Only four golfers carded under-par scores in the second round. This stands in contrast to the first round, when 20 players were in red numbers for the day (which still isn't a lot).   

The totality of two days: brutal stuff at ANGC. 

Who emerged from the rubble as winners? Who, well, didn't? 

Read on to see. 

Winner: Spiethilroy

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No surprise here: Spieth and Rory McIlroy are winners through two difficult days.

While the two took divergent paths in the second round, with McIlroy pouring in a lengthy birdie at the par-three 16th en route to a one-under 71 (tied for the best round of the day) and Spieth scrapping and clawing to a two-over 74, they are the top two players on the leaderboard right now. 

Spieth, playing with a replacement driver after his gamer cracked Wednesday, opened with a bogey-free 66 to McIlroy's two-under 70. The Texan made two bogeys in his final three holes en route to a gritty 74 in a round in which he hit just 10 greens in regulation. 

McIlroy rolled in three birdies in his final six holes for a steely back-nine 34 in his second-round 71. 

Discussing the Ulsterman's second round, the Associated Press' Doug Ferguson wrote: "Along with the unlikely birdie on the 16th, he had to get out of the trees right of the 18th fairway and then pitched to six feet and saved par. His caddie kept reminding him that par was a good score in wind like this. Not only was a score under par good, it was rare on this day."

Indeed.

Loser: Ernie Els' Putting Stroke

Warning: Explicit content.

You've probably already seen the slasher movie above, but if you somehow haven't, that was Ernie Els opening his 2016 Masters with a six-putt for a first-hole nine. 

Horrible stuff. And remarkable that Els was only three over for his final 17 holes after that. 

The Big Easy bounced back with a second-round 73. He still missed the cut handily, but it was nice to see the affable South African put a good round together following the mess at the first. 

Winner: Top-10 Suprises

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Amid difficult scoring conditions at the Alister Mackenzie-designed Georgia track, a few unexpected names are positioned high on Augusta National's manually operated green and white leaderboards. 

A few of the unlikely candidates for top billing:

• Scott Piercy, in just his second Masters, fired rounds of 70 and 72 to sit at two under, tied for third.
• Danny Lee opened with a four-under 68 and followed it with a second-round 74 to sit at two under (two behind Spieth). 
• Soren Kjeldsen went 69, 74 and is tied for fifth. 
• Kiradech Aphibarnrat, playing in his first Masters, is tied for eighth at even par following two rounds of 72.  

Loser: Rickie Fowler

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Rickie Fowler, who was on the shortlist of tournament favorites in most analysts' and golf fans' minds, made a mess of his opening hole Thursday, which set the tone for a lackluster two days at Augusta National. 

Fowler, who doesn't lack for power or precision in his iron game, landed among the favorites thanks to top-15 finishes in his last two Masters and a 10th-place showing at the Shell Houston Open, his most recent start. 

The Oklahoma State alum double-bogeyed his first hole, in addition to making an eight at the par-five 13th en route to an opening-round eight-over 80. 

In his post-round press conference, Fowler told reporters, "Golf's tough, it is a fine line, especially at this place. ... It can go either way, and it can definitely go the other way, the high-number way, a lot easier than it can the low."

Indeed. After a second-round 73, Fowler missed his first cut in six tries at Augusta National.

Adding insult to injury, the debatable sartorial selection you see in the photo above...  

Winners: Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer

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Tom Watson, 66, said goodbye to the Masters after 43 appearances. The two-time Masters champion availed himself nicely, carding rounds of 74, 78 to finish just a few strokes outside the cut line. 

The long goodbye is something special at the Masters, where winners earn an exemption for life. We saw it with Ben Crenshaw bidding adieu last year. 

And cynics can rest easy: The Masters is an invitational tournament, so when the greats of the game choose to accept their invitations to play, they aren't "taking up a spot." And as long as they don't shoot 90, who cares?

Another Augusta tradition, the ceremonial opening tee shot, saw Arnold Palmer, at 86, looking on while Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus struck the tournament-beginning blasts. Former champions, such as Crenshaw and Fuzzy Zoeller, came out to watch, as did current players, such as Fowler and Bryson DeChambeau. 

How can this pair of legends not be winners? 

Losers: A Handful of Favorites

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The following golfers were either on the shortlist of favorites, per Odds Shark, or more informally, the subject of much pre-tournament chatter.

They were left scattered along Augusta National's pristine Bermuda grass fairways.

• Bubba Watson carded two rounds of 75 to stand at six over, making the cut on the number.
• Adam Scott opened with a sloppy 76 and just snuck inside the cut line at four over. 
• Fowler, as mentioned, opened with a miserable 80 (but bounced back with a one-over 73). 
• Charl Schwartzel, 2011 Masters winner, fired two rounds of 76 to finish outside the cut line. 
• Phil Mickelson made double bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes in his second round to fall outside the cut line. 

Winner: The Golfing Scientist

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While viewers may have heard enough about his single-length irons and unique approach to the game, U.S. Amateur winner DeChambeau has showed through two days that the approach works.

The former SMU Mustang, playing with Spieth and Paul Casey, more than held his own in the opening round, carding an even-par 72.

He was even better in the blustery second round until an 18th-hole triple bogey following a drive hit out of bounds dropped him from three under to even par. 

Still, DeChambeau sits tied for eighth entering the weekend. Impressive stuff from an amateur. 

Losers: The Field

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The tournament committee at Augusta National took no prisoners with its Friday pin selections, and Mother Nature didn't make things any easier, with breezy conditions increasing throughout the day and gusts in excess of 25 mph. And the first round was no picnic either, with winds steadily around 15 mph, gusting to 35 mph. 

Golf Digest's Michael Johnson mentioned that in three of the last four Masters, scoring averages have been in excess of 74 in the second round. However, this year's first two days stands in contrast to last year when Spieth led after two rounds at 14 under (and Charley Hoffman sat in second at nine under). 

With just seven players under par after two rounds, Augusta National, aided by gusts and shifting winds, has proved the sternest of tests.

And according to Golf Digest's Geoff Shackelford, it's only going to get worse over the weekend, with frost expected on ANGC's greens overnight, which means they won't grow or be watered over the weekend.