A brutal second day at Augusta National

There is no doubt that Augusta National is a beautiful place to be but the beauty turned into a beast on Friday as the field tackled some of the windiest conditions ever seen. The afternoon starters bore the brunt of it, with winds swirling, mini stand storms created from the bunker sand and balls not able to stand their ground on the slick putting surfaces. Here's Gary Woodland's ball on the 16th:

It was a game of survival out there and many will have come in battered and bruised, just grateful to have survived the continual onslaught.

The cut line early on looked like it would be a +3 but as conditions worsened it moved to four and ultimately it ended at +6, which is three shots higher than last year.

Max Homa tied for the lead

It must have felt like an ultra marathon for the players that had to complete their first rounds, before heading out again.

Max Homa, who played 23 holes on Friday with Tiger Woods and Jason Day, holds a share of the lead at six-under-par after shooting a 67 and 71. The American was one of only eight players in the field of 89 to shoot a second round score that was under par.

Although grateful to be in the lead the 33-year-old was happy to be off the course:

"We had to play extra holes. Just being out in the wind for that long just got old. Even here, even at a place as amazing as this, I was picturing my couch and the TV. Just wanted to be done. Just be inside. That's all we were rooting for.

"I think the wind picked up like three miles an hour from my side. That was about as happy as you could be to be off of a golf course. That was so hard. We got the sand shower to end our day. So it was kind of even the golf course saying, get the hell out of here. It was nice. It was hard."

Tiger Woods breaks record

Tiger Woods easily made the cut in the end at one-over-par, which made it his 24th consecutive cut made breaking the record he held with Gary Player and Fred Couples. What did it mean to the five-time Masters champion?

"It means I have a chance going into the weekend. I'm here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament. I don't know if they're all going to finish today, but I'm done. I got my two rounds in. Just need some food and some caffeine, and I'll be good to go."

Scheffler and Dechambeau make it three at the top

Homa is joined at the top by World Number one Scottie Scheffler who definitely had to play in the toughest conditions of the day with a later tee time:

"It was extremely challenging. The winds were up very high, and it blows from everywhere out here. I think even par this afternoon was a really good score.

"I try to relax as much as possible out there, but I feel like I teed off 10 hours ago. It was a long day out there. Kaiser was wearing a watch, and when we got to 16 tee, I think it was 6:57, so it had already been over five hours. And, I mean, that's what happens. When you have greens this fast and this much wind and that much water out there, it's going to take a while to play golf. That's pretty much it."

Completing the trio at the top is Bryson DeChambeau after rounds of 65 and 73. After missing the cut the last two years and with a best finish of tied 21st in 2016 when he was an amateur, the American is looking forward to being in contention going into the weekend:

"I've never experienced Augusta National in these conditions before. Being able to stay patient and place the ball in the correct locations and just allow myself to be okay with not so great shots out there was a key aspect of me playing well."

Cut line moves to six-over-par

There were a number of players that looked like they would be heading home early but as the cut line number moved, so did their weekend playing opportunity.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, had a frustrating day and is tied for 44th at five-over-par. Others to squeeze into the weekend included: Rickie Fowler (+6), Hideki Matsuyama (+6), Adam Scott (+6), Keegan Bradley (+5) and Rory McIlroy (+4).

What about those that missed the cut?

Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Wyndham Clark were all seven-over-par. Viktor Hovland (+8), plus Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman, Sam Burns who were nine-over-par and after two rounds he'll definitely want to forget, the 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson bowed out at 13-over-par.

Who knows what the Augusta National golf gods have planned for the weekend, all we know is that there is an exciting two days of golf ahead. Bring on moving day!

View the full 2024 Masters leaderboard here.