Key stats Friday after two rounds of the 83rd Masters:
5: The record number of co-leaders, all Major champions, after 36 holes – Francesco Molinari (67), Jason Day (67), Brooks Koepka (71), Adam Scott (68) and Louis Oosthuizen (66) – at seven-under-par 137. That broke the previous high of four mid-way co-leaders set in 1973 (Tommy Aaron, Gay Brewer, Bob Dickson and J.C. Snead) and matched in 2017 (Sergio Garcia, Charley Hoffman, Rickie Fowler and Thomas Pieters).
7: The deficit by Rory McIlroy, still needing a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam, after shooting a second-round 71. He sits in a tie for 36th at even-par 144.
7: Strokes that Koepka took on the par-5 second hole – where the field scoring average was the third-easiest of the day at 4.770. He followed his double-bogey with a bounce-back birdie at the par-4 third. In last year’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills, Koepka doubled the par-4 sixth and the par-4 14th in a first-round 75 but overcame it with rounds of 66-72-68 to win by one.
8: Best comeback from a 36-hole deficit to win the Masters, by Jackie Burke Jr in 1956.
24: Masters rounds that Tiger Woods has shot in the 60s after Friday’s 68 (out of 84 career rounds).
63: For those trying to get back into contention on Saturday, this is the low third round in a Masters, by Nick Price in 1986 with nines of 33-30, including a horseshoe lip-out birdie attempt at the 18th. A final-round 71 left Price in fifth place, three strokes behind Jack Nicklaus, who won his record sixth green jacket.
65: Friday’s low round, by Xander Schauffele, who is a stroke behind the leaders with Dustin Johnson (70), Justin Harding (69) and Woods (68).
65: Players who made the cut of low 50 and ties (and those within 10 strokes of the lead at three-over-par 147).
68.99: Average score for Masters champions in the second round.
70.16: Average score for Masters champions in the third round.
71.98: Field scoring average on Friday (with no rounds in the 80s or no “others” scores of triple-bogey or worse on a hole) versus a field average of 72.87 in the opening round.
100: Number of competitive rounds in the Masters by Phil Mickelson, who shot a 73 on Friday to trail by three strokes at T-12. Asked what No.100 meant to him, Mickelson replied, “Just that I’m getting old.”
131: For those aspiring to rally from a big deficit this weekend, this is the low final 36 holes in a Masters, by Johnny Miller in 1975, when his 65-66 finish left him one stroke behind winner Jack Nicklaus. Miller had trailed Nicklaus by 11 strokes after opening rounds of 75-71 and Nicklaus’ 68-67 start.
