Masters 2017: Predictions, Live Stream and TV Coverage Hub for Friday
Charley Hoffman was the star in a windy first round of the 2017 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia, but Friday is a new day.
The results were all over the place in Round 1, with Hoffman and William McGirt excelling while bigger names like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Adam Scott struggled. There is still a long way before we crown a new major winner, but the start has certainly been interesting.
Here is what you need to know in order to keep following the action through Round 2.
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Friday Coverage
TV: ESPN (3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET)
Live Stream:
- Masters.com - Full Coverage
- WatchESPN - Starts at 3 p.m. ET
| 10:12 a.m. | Rickie Fowler | Russell Knox | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 10:34 a.m. | Matthew Fitzpatrick | Martin Kaymer | Jordan Spieth |
| 10:45 a.m. | Rafa Cabrera Bello | Si Woo Kim | Phil Mickelson |
| 10:56 a.m. | Jason Day | Justin Rose | Brandt Snedeker |
| 11:07 a.m. | William McGirt | Rod Pampling | |
| 12:24 p.m. | Matt Kuchar | Curtis Luck | Danny Willett |
| 1:08 p.m. | Charley Hoffman | Yuta Ikeda | Chris Wood |
| 1:19 p.m. | Sergio Garcia | Shane Lowry | Lee Westwood |
| 1:41 p.m. | Rory McIlroy | Jon Rahm | Hideto Tanihara |
Predictions
Charley Hoffman Stays Ahead
When someone other than the usual suspects leads after Day 1 of a major, the common expectation is that he will eventually come back down to earth. That might not necessarily be the case with Hoffman.
As Golf Channel broke down, the first round was an impressive one:
Not only did he shoot a 65 featuring great putting and approach shots, only one other player in the entire field even broke 70. It was a difficult day on the course with strong winds, but none of that seemed to matter to the 40-year-old.
Hoffman is certainly inconsistent—he has missed six cuts in 12 official events this season—but he is dangerous when he is on. He has two top-five finishes in the last four events, including a tie for second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Although this doesn't necessarily mean he will win a green jacket, he should stay in control at least going into the weekend.
Jordan Spieth Bounces Back
Spieth has competed in the Masters three times. He has one win and two second-place finishes. He knows this course pretty well, which made it a surprise he managed just a 75 in his opening round.
On the plus side, the day didn't go as poorly as it could have. He had three birdies and two bogeys in the round, although it was the nine that really did him in.
The young star took a quadruple bogey on the par-five 15th hole, which might have been an issue of poor mentality.
"You think of it as a birdie hole, obviously being a par five," Spieth explained after the round, per Christine Brennan of USA Today. "And unfortunately I still thought of it as a birdie hole today and it really isn't when you layup. So I didn't take my medicine."
Considering he bounced back with a birdie and two pars to close out the round, it doesn't seem like this will affect him much going forward.
He will enter Round 2 at plus-three, but he could be back in the top 10 before the end of the day.
Jason Day Misses Cut
Few players in the world have been as good at majors as Jason Day has in recent years, but he has not been at his best so far in 2017.
Day has just a single top-10 finish in six PGA events, while also struggling in the match play event last month. While he always has the ability to turn things around in a hurry, he didn't show much in his first round at Augusta.
The Australian finished with a 74, including two bogeys and a double bogey on No. 11.
There were a few bright spots, but he otherwise failed to show the level of play we have come to expect from the No. 3 player in the world.
Although he ended the first round tied for 26th, he is only a few strokes away from dropping down the standings and missing the cut.
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