Three amateurs make cut at Masters

After becoming the lone amateur to make the Masters Tournament cut last year, Japanese amateur Hideki Matsuyama felt more pressure than confidence this year.

Matsuyama, 20, earned a second trip by repeating as the Asian Amateur champion and made it his first goal to reach the weekend once more.

The next two are to beat last year’s score of 1-under 287 and finish in the top 16 to earn a third invitation.

“The first one I was able to clear today,” said Matsuyama, who shot 2-over 74 on Friday for a two-day total of 145 to make the cut with ease. “I’m going to work on those next two and hopefully get it done.”

This year he’ll have competition for the Silver Cup, given to the top amateur to make the cut. Patrick Cantlay, 20, and Kelly Kraft, 23, made the cut by finishing within 10 shots of the leader. Cantlay shot 6-over 78 and Kraft 3-over 75 to both finish with a total of 149.

Kraft defeated Cantlay in the U.S. Ama­teur. They have been rooming together in the Crow’s Nest – the cupola above the clubhouse set aside for amateurs.

Amateurs Bryden Macpherson, Corbin Mills and Randal Lewis did not make the cut.

It has been rare in recent years for any amateurs to make the cut. Matsuyama did it last year, and Italian Matteo Manassero did it in 2010. None made it from 2005-09.

Matsuyama’s second round nearly fell apart, leaving him nervous about where he might finish as he worked through the back nine. He bogeyed number 6 and triple-bogeyed No. 9.

“To be honest, I was really nervous even after that hole and all the holes after that,” Matsuyama said. “I was really nervous. Ob­vious­ly, the score ended up being good, but more than that, being nervous and
being able to overcome that was big for me today.”

Matsuyama added another bogey on the par-5 No. 13 but birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to stay alive in the tournament.

Cantlay’s hopes were nearly doomed, too, as he bogeyed eight holes and finished seven strokes off his opening-round mark.

Kraft didn’t have quite the success he had Thursday, when he birdied four in a row from Nos. 12-15, but he finished tied for 57th with Cantlay with a two-day 149, right on the 10-stroke limit from the leader.

“(Being cut) was in the back of my mind, definitely on the last few holes,” Kraft said. “But on the front nine, not really. I was just trying to play, but definitely coming in (on the final holes) I took a look and just wanted to see where I was at.”