AUGUSTA, Ga. — There’s a great line in the Secretariat SportsCentury episode from Times writer Dave Anderson.
Here’s what he said.
“The day that Secretariat won the Belmont, I went back to the barn with him. I was standing outside, and there were probably 30 or 50 people there. They were giving him the saliva test, and I remember a woman saying … “They’re treating him like [he’s] just another horse.”
I think about that line a lot. Probably more than I should. It is such a perfect line.
I thought about it again on Thursday when Rory finished in a frenzy at Augusta National and put his sixth (his sixth!) major championship in a headlock.
On the 12th tee, he led by zero.
Two hours later, after a 2-4-4-4-2-3-3 finish and one of the great shots in Nandina history, and suddenly he held the biggest 36-hole lead in the history of this 90-year-old tournament.
We have a lot to discuss.
Name drops today: Secretariat, Henry Cotton, Wyndham Clark’s birth control, Harry Vardon and (of course) Martin Kaymer.
Thank you to Charlie Golf Co. for sponsoring today’s newsletter. They were all over the event that was held on Wednesday afternoon at the miniature version of this course.
But don’t take that as evidence. They are now trusted by over 13,000 golf families all over the world. One of my favorite brands run by my buddy, Tyler Johnson, who is absolutely in love with golf.
Tyler has agreed to give away three bags to our readers, which — if you got them in time — you could use on Sunday because the tournament you were going to watch is already over. All you have to do is comment right here on this tweet with what you think is going to happen this weekend. We will draw three folks and send out three bags at some point over the next few weeks.
In the spirit of Charlie Golf Co. Jason turned today's illustrations (and the bird vest illustration from Thursday) into coloring book pages! So if you or your kids feel like getting creative this weekend, smash this download button.
And if you feel like sending us your amazing artwork (please do!), shoot an email to jason@normalsport.com
OK, now onto the news.
Round 2 leader board update for you fruit connoisseurs.
1. Rory has married up three things, and that is a problem for the rest of this (and any other major championship) field.
The first thing is the preternatural giftedness that he was born with and has developed. The skill that once made Geoff Ogilvy say that he flushes it more than Tiger does.
He’s always had that. The freedom, the flow, the Federer in him has always drawn me (and so many of us) into that orbit.
Why? Because humans are drawn to beauty. Steph ripping from 30 feet, Pedro dealing in Fenway, Bolt closing a 4×100 — all of these are flashes, maybe even slivers, of a beauty that we were created to delight in. Even if the truth that these things stir us can feel confusing, it is almost undeniable that they do stir us.
This is simply how we’re wired.
Rory is the rare golfer ever — certainly the only active one — whose athletic endeavors are legitimately beautiful. That sounds … weird, perhaps even silly, but it’s true.
You can call it whatever you want to call it, but what you’re seeing when he has the brushes out and he’s layering with a depth nobody else can even see — when he’s truly painting — is actually beautiful. That is why we’re drawn to it.
2. The second is that he has married that beauty — he called it “a sense of flow” after his round — to a doggedness that I’m not sure anyone ever saw coming. Consider this stat.
Par 5 fairways hit: 0
Par 5 birdies made: 7
You can only do that with patience, creativity and a wedge game that’s as filthy as it has ever been. The 73 on Sunday last year was obviously the most mentally and emotionally tough 73 maybe in the history of golf. But it was emblematic of the fact that he has turned into someone you no longer want to brawl with.
I remember, even go back to the final round in 2011, hitting it in that bunker off the tee at the 2nd hole and, like, not panicking, but thinking, Oh, this isn't good. I can't go for this in two. I walk up there today, and it's like, No, I lay it up to a good number, and I'll have a good chance to make a birdie.
Rory McIlroy
This may sound simple to the Alex Norens and Brian Harmans of the world — dogs who have always gotten by because they’re dogs — but titans like Rory sometimes never meld their otherworldly qualities with the mettle necessary to play the par 5s in 7 under without finding a single fairway.
This — again — is terrifying (should be terrifying) for the rest of the field.
Too soon?
3. And the third is that he has emotionally broken through a barrier it felt like he never would. Especially here.
I think it was getting to the point where I would allow myself to play the course the way that I knew that I could. So it was getting past myself. It was staying aggressive. Like my little mantra to myself today was, Keep swinging, keep swinging hard at it even if you're not hitting fairways, just keep swinging.
Over the years … my mindset hasn't been, Keep swinging. It's been guided, tentative. I think the experience I've accrued over the years and obviously with what happened last year, it makes it a bit easier out there to keep swinging.
Rory McIlroy
Keep swinging could mean that Tiger’s 12-shot margin of victory is in jeopardy, and if you think that’s irrational, I’m prepared to be borderline irresponsible with what I believe could happen this weekend.
So let’s keep moving and get to the really fun part where we talk about how Rory is a couple of rounds from being one of the 10 best golfers who’s ever lived.
[Jason here] Shout out to Eddie M. from the Normal Club Slack (which is a blast). He made a great "There you are Rahmbo" Hook reference that got me thinking about someone who has actually found himself at Augusta. Rory.
It's not exactly Robin Williams learning how to dream at the imaginary Neverland feast, but he's playing like a kid again, and everyone else on the leader board can just go suck on a dead dog’s nose.
4. OK, twist my arm, let’s get crazy.
But first, some housekeeping. Both of the stats are outrageous.
The largest 36-hole lead in the 90-year history of the Masters? A year after winning the slam in the most excruciating, ridiculous fashion possible?
It really does feel like we’re getting the best parts of pre-weight-of-the-slam Rory combined with the best parts of the post-weight-of-the-slam Rory. We thought this was coming at Quail Hollow, but it turns out we had to wait another 11 months.
5. So … what if he wins by 10?
What if he breaks Tiger’s record and wins the Masters by 13?!
What if he wins three straight Masters?
What if he gets to nine major championships?
Does any of this feel like hyperbole after what we witnessed over the last two days from the reigning champ at Augusta National? I am prepared to say almost anything right now.
I looked up those previous 6+ shot leads. Here’s how they ended …
1934 Open — Cotton won by 5
2000 U.S. Open — Tiger won by 15
2011 U.S. Open — Rory won by 8
2014 U.S. Open — Kaymer won by 8
2019 PGA — Brooks won by 2 😬
Rory won’t get it to 15 this weekend because nobody will ever again. But he may get to eight or more depending on how Saturday goes.
This — all of this [gestures to everything above] — is why back when there were Rickie-Rory comps or Jason Day-Rory comps or even Spieth-Rory comps, it used to irritate me tremendously. Not on his planet. Not even close (OK, Spieth was close for a bit).
Those guys? JAHs. Rory? Not Just Another Horse.
6. Also — [snaps back into reality] — this is how Saturday is going to go. Only one of two ways. Either one will give us something to talk about for quite a long time.
Whatever happens, we're prepared. We think.
7. Let’s skip ahead to Sunday evening and pretend like Fred Ridley is putting the jacket on Rory and that Rory has joined Tiger, Jack and Nick Faldo as the only golfers to go back to back here … ever. That’s six majors, including a dominant Masters.
He ties Phil and Faldo, and the only golfers ahead of him are as follows.
Jack — 18
Tiger — 15
Hagen — 11
Hogan — 9
Player — 9
Watson — 8
Vardon — 7
Jones — 7
Sarazen — 7
Snead — 7
Palmer — 7
I have Phil as a top 10 or 11 golfer ever. And I think if Rory ties him with six, the slam is probably a tiebreaker that puts him ahead and into that top 10 of all time category.
And he has a lot of runway.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
But also he’s going to win by like nine.
8. I need to confess something: I’m getting pretty close to being all good on Spieth content. I can’t believe I (of all people) am saying that, but it’s just not there.
He says “it’s close to clicking” in every single interview, and yet it never clicks. It’s like when Bryson says, “The equipment is coming. It’s almost ready.” And you’re still waiting three years later or whatever.
Andy Johnson asked me on Friday how morale is on Spieth Island, and I have to say it feels like that moment in Castaway when Wilson is floating away and Tom Hanks is losing his mind. This one.
This bring me zero joy. None whatsoever. But I fear I must report this is very specifically how I feel at the moment.
[Jason here] Kyle is lost in the Augusta magnolias, wearing this unpublished illustration I surprised him with in 2021. Send help.
9. Masters week — especially this Masters week — is an exercise in flexing, and there be no greater flex than this one from Rory on Friday evening.
I honestly just don't like the three tournaments leading up to this event. I'd rather come up here. I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her -- or had dinner with Erica probably
Rory McIlroy
Sure, that’s similar to how my days go after I drop the kids off at school.
10. Speaking of kids! I missed this Wyndham quote on Wednesday at the Par 3, but I want to highlight it now because I think it’s a loser comment. Way more offensive than wrecking the locker room at Oakmont.
Listen, you don’t want kids, great. I get it, and I think that’s fine. But it’s an incredibly stupid thing to say in the midst of one of the most joyous and coolest family days in all of golf.
Was he joking about it? I’m sure he was — and I empathize with the fact that I’ve said a lot of stupid things in public as well (many of them in this very newsletter!) — but I just found it to be sophomoric and another strike against someone who can’t seem to keep from racking them up.
11. A collection of amazing tweets from Friday.
12. I loved this take on Bryson.
I actually have grown to like and respect Bryson a lot, and this is probably an oversimplification of the issues at play (of which there are many), but it’s an oversimplification that makes a lot of sense.
Bryson is a (not real but self-proclaimed) scientist.
Reed is an artist. Rose is an artist. Tiger is an artist. Rory is an artist.
Artists win Masters. Scientists often (most of the time) do not.
Back in Bryson's garage.
13. Notes from the grounds today.
• People in attendance are always confused by the leaderboards. I think the primary point of confusion is that they put what your overall score is after a hole underneath that hole. So if you’re 1 under for the tournament through the fourth hole in the second round, you get a red 1 under the fourth hole.
It doesn’t mean you aced the fourth hole, but I think some people think it does (which would be insane because it would mean Spieth went full Kim Jong Un and aced the first 11 holes on Friday!).
• One thing I was thinking about while walking around that I’m not totally sure I believe is that they should re-group trios by scores after the first round. This won’t happen because it would create scenarios where players would play two afternoon rounds, which could be considered unfair because of wind or whatever, but it has to be tough if you’re, say, Max Homa and sitting at 2 under while your playing partners are a combined 19 over.
• I saw something on Friday I don’t think I’ve ever seen before: Somebody lying on his back underneath a scoreboard to get some shade. Just fully laid out, possibly asleep?
• One nuance on a difficult golf course like it was on Thursday is that I think it rules on TV but maybe isn’t always the best in person. The first day and parts of Friday didn’t provide a ton of roars or juice out on the course.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very much in favor of this …
… but there are also some unintended consequences there for folks in attendance.
• I was out following the Spieth-Rose group for a while. Spieth never (ever) stops twitching. He’s like a 4-year-old in church. Just moving every single second the entire time. Also, everybody is rooting for Rose. You can feel it. People know what happened last year and they understand his history here. It won’t matter, but I found it endearing.
• Bring back the years on chairs. I’ve seen some 1998 chairs this week. Some 2001 ones. I think it’s a very, very cool thing. Take the years off the hats and put them back onto the chairs.
• I saw a woman posted up near the tournament practice area watching Tommy and Cam Smith hit bunker shots. She was locked in. Honestly, it’s kind of a sick spot if you want to watch world-class golf shots over and over again. They don’t count, but you will definitely leave with a new appreciation for just how good even average tour pros are.
14. Andrew Novak said before the tournament started that nobody has logged more hours of watching the Masters than he has, so I was thrilled for him that he actually got to play in it.
This is my favorite week of the year. This is the best tournament I've ever played in. Just makes it a little bit more disappointing that I'm not going to have two more rounds to play in it. That's not really how I wanted my week to go.
Feel like Sundays at the Masters is probably the single most special thing you can probably be a part of as far as a golf tournament goes.
Andrew Novak
It’s cool to hear players articulate what the rest of us feel.
15. The course on Friday: It played 2 shots easier than it did on Thursday, which I thought was a bit disappointing (despite it bringing more roars throughout the back half of the round). I’m intrigued by what they do with it this weekend. Is it pre-determined? Does the fact that one guy is lapping the field have any effect on how they set it up?
I hope (and Rory definitely hopes) that ANGC chooses violence over these last 36. Brooks said on Friday, “It's definitely firmer than I've seen it. They can kind of do what they want with it.” Letting it be more of a star like it was on Thursday would be a delight.
16. I think I agree with this, but I also think it’s less of a course length debate (like Phil maybe thinks it is) and much more of an equipment debate. The more reined in the equipment is, the more options you have with setup. The downstream effects of letting equipment go when they did are being felt in ways nobody ever could have imagined.
17. Another great normal sport moment.
Q. Big difference between yesterday and today?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, just drove it better. Some of my setting on the driver switched if A1 to B1. No one noticed it. Switching back to A1, which is what we usually had it and just driving it better.
I noticed during the third quarter that my shoes were the wrong size, but NBA rules don’t allow me to change them during the middle of the game.
18. I really feel for Rose. Truly. He’s such a pro. He has the best SG of anyone at this event since 1967 (min. 40 rounds) without actually winning the event.
He played wonderfully today and spoke eloquently afterward.
Of course I want to win this tournament. I don't really need to try any harder, know what I mean? I just think the experience in that is probably trying harder ain't going to help me. So that's probably the dance I'm doing with myself. I know the intrinsic motivation is there. It's about execution, and typically when you play your best golf, you're always lighting it up rather than getting more intense.
Justin Rose
I don’t want to deal with the fallout of Rory blowing a six-shot lead at the Masters, but if it happens, I definitely want it to be Rose holding a sobbing Rory on the 18th green as they walk off together. Unfortunately for Rose, he’s not dealing with just another horse.
Thank you for reading our outrageous golf newsletter that is sometimes (but often barely) about golf. Every edition is handcrafted by me (Kyle) and Jason. It is a labor of love, but as long as you keep showing up and we still have money in our bank account, we will keep handcrafting and delivering this thing to you with all the obsession we can muster.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — There’s a great line in the Secretariat SportsCentury episode from Times writer Dave Anderson.
Here’s what he said.
“The day that Secretariat won the Belmont, I went back to the barn with him. I was standing outside, and there were probably 30 or 50 people there. They were giving him the saliva test, and I remember a woman saying … “They’re treating him like [he’s] just another horse.”
I think about that line a lot. Probably more than I should. It is such a perfect line.
I thought about it again on Thursday when Rory finished in a frenzy at Augusta National and put his sixth (his sixth!) major championship in a headlock.
On the 12th tee, he led by zero.
Two hours later, after a 2-4-4-4-2-3-3 finish and one of the great shots in Nandina history, and suddenly he held the biggest 36-hole lead in the history of this 90-year-old tournament.
We have a lot to discuss.
Name drops today: Secretariat, Henry Cotton, Wyndham Clark’s birth control, Harry Vardon and (of course) Martin Kaymer.
Thank you to Charlie Golf Co. for sponsoring today’s newsletter. They were all over the event that was held on Wednesday afternoon at the miniature version of this course.
But don’t take that as evidence. They are now trusted by over 13,000 golf families all over the world. One of my favorite brands run by my buddy, Tyler Johnson, who is absolutely in love with golf.
Tyler has agreed to give away three bags to our readers, which — if you got them in time — you could use on Sunday because the tournament you were going to watch is already over. All you have to do is comment right here on this tweet with what you think is going to happen this weekend. We will draw three folks and send out three bags at some point over the next few weeks.
In the spirit of Charlie Golf Co. Jason turned today's illustrations (and the bird vest illustration from Thursday) into coloring book pages! So if you or your kids feel like getting creative this weekend, smash this download button.
And if you feel like sending us your amazing artwork (please do!), shoot an email to jason@normalsport.com
OK, now onto the news.
Round 2 leader board update for you fruit connoisseurs.
1. Rory has married up three things, and that is a problem for the rest of this (and any other major championship) field.
The first thing is the preternatural giftedness that he was born with and has developed. The skill that once made Geoff Ogilvy say that he flushes it more than Tiger does.
He’s always had that. The freedom, the flow, the Federer in him has always drawn me (and so many of us) into that orbit.
Why? Because humans are drawn to beauty. Steph ripping from 30 feet, Pedro dealing in Fenway, Bolt closing a 4×100 — all of these are flashes, maybe even slivers, of a beauty that we were created to delight in. Even if the truth that these things stir us can feel confusing, it is almost undeniable that they do stir us.
This is simply how we’re wired.
Rory is the rare golfer ever — certainly the only active one — whose athletic endeavors are legitimately beautiful. That sounds … weird, perhaps even silly, but it’s true.
You can call it whatever you want to call it, but what you’re seeing when he has the brushes out and he’s layering with a depth nobody else can even see — when he’s truly painting — is actually beautiful. That is why we’re drawn to it.
2. The second is that he has married that beauty — he called it “a sense of flow” after his round — to a doggedness that I’m not sure anyone ever saw coming. Consider this stat.
Par 5 fairways hit: 0
Par 5 birdies made: 7
You can only do that with patience, creativity and a wedge game that’s as filthy as it has ever been. The 73 on Sunday last year was obviously the most mentally and emotionally tough 73 maybe in the history of golf. But it was emblematic of the fact that he has turned into someone you no longer want to brawl with.
I remember, even go back to the final round in 2011, hitting it in that bunker off the tee at the 2nd hole and, like, not panicking, but thinking, Oh, this isn't good. I can't go for this in two. I walk up there today, and it's like, No, I lay it up to a good number, and I'll have a good chance to make a birdie.
Rory McIlroy
This may sound simple to the Alex Norens and Brian Harmans of the world — dogs who have always gotten by because they’re dogs — but titans like Rory sometimes never meld their otherworldly qualities with the mettle necessary to play the par 5s in 7 under without finding a single fairway.
This — again — is terrifying (should be terrifying) for the rest of the field.
Too soon?
3. And the third is that he has emotionally broken through a barrier it felt like he never would. Especially here.
I think it was getting to the point where I would allow myself to play the course the way that I knew that I could. So it was getting past myself. It was staying aggressive. Like my little mantra to myself today was, Keep swinging, keep swinging hard at it even if you're not hitting fairways, just keep swinging.
Over the years … my mindset hasn't been, Keep swinging. It's been guided, tentative. I think the experience I've accrued over the years and obviously with what happened last year, it makes it a bit easier out there to keep swinging.
Rory McIlroy
Keep swinging could mean that Tiger’s 12-shot margin of victory is in jeopardy, and if you think that’s irrational, I’m prepared to be borderline irresponsible with what I believe could happen this weekend.
So let’s keep moving and get to the really fun part where we talk about how Rory is a couple of rounds from being one of the 10 best golfers who’s ever lived.
[Jason here] Shout out to Eddie M. from the Normal Club Slack (which is a blast). He made a great "There you are Rahmbo" Hook reference that got me thinking about someone who has actually found himself at Augusta. Rory.
It's not exactly Robin Williams learning how to dream at the imaginary Neverland feast, but he's playing like a kid again, and everyone else on the leader board can just go suck on a dead dog’s nose.
This post will continue below for Normal Club members (all 1,043 of them) and includes notes from the grounds on Friday, a Justin Rose take and plenty (plenty!) more hyperbole about Rory after 36 holes.
By becoming a member, you will receive the following …
• Access to 100 percent of our content this week.
• An invite to our Slack channel where we watch golf together.
• A free digital copy of our Rory book.
• 15% off to our pro shop.
.svg){kind=spacer}
