Tom Watson struggles through second round

Tom Watson wanted to follow Thursday’s “minor miracle” with a major masterpiece in Friday’s second round.

Instead, the 65-year-old came nowhere close to recapturing the magic that led to his opening-round 1-under-par 71. Watson opened his second round with a bogey and finished with a disastrous triple bogey.

Instead of making the cut for the first time since 2010, Watson stumbled to 81 and finished tied for 87th.

“Today I just didn’t drive the ball well,” said Watson, who made just one birdie in his round and had seven bogeys to go with his final-hole triple bogey. “I pull-hooked a lot of drives today and I didn’t putt well. I didn’t keep the ball in play off the tee and I didn’t make the putts I did yesterday. That was the difference.

“I don’t go around here making a lot of birdies. I just can’t except for the par-5s and I messed them up as well.”

Watson struggled most on the par-4s, particularly on the front nine where he made bogey on the first four before finally running into a par on No. 9 after blasting out of the left bunker to 6 feet.

That par came on the heels of his only birdie of the day on No. 8, where he stuck his third shot to a foot. At that point, it appeared Watson had gained a bit of momentum.

Instead, he followed with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, unable to get up and down after missing the green on his second shots.

Watson then strung together six consecutive pars but sent his drive on No. 18 into a thick tree on the left side of the fairway and had to take an unplayable lie, leading to his disappointing finish.

It was the second year in a row Watson shot 81 in the second round and just the third time in his 42 Masters appearances he’s shot in the 80s.

“When you’re shooting under par and have a chance to make the cut, that’s the high,” Watson said. “The low was today and how I played. I just didn’t perform today. Who knows? It’s like a thermos. Some days it’s hot and some days it’s cold.”