
Several high-profile names have missed the cut at The Masters, but Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa have made it to the weekend.
Both Thomas and Morikawa have endured their injury issues of late, and were perhaps not expected by many to be in this position at Augusta National.
Thomas only recently returned from back surgery, while Morikawa has been doing his best to deal with back spasms.
Despite their less-than-ideal preparation for The Masters, the American pair have both finished within the four-over cut line.
Morikawa is T20 on one-under and Thomas is T39 on two-over, with both players now sharing their delight at making the cut on social media.
Thomas posted on his Instagram: “First two days in the books [at The Masters].
“Not the start we wanted, but weekend golf nonetheless!
“Feel very close to some great play… looking forward to enjoying the walk the next two days.”
And Morikawa wrote on his Instagram: “Enjoying each step out here.
“May not be comfortable, but giving it all I’ve got.
“Two more days [at The Masters].”
Thomas carded a 72 and 74 in his first two days at Augusta, with Morikawa following his first round 74 with a second round 69.
The former posted four birdies, 26 pars and six bogeys across his 36 holes, compared to tallies of eight, 21 and seven respectively for the latter.
Thomas and Morikawa deserve plenty of credit for their efforts in Georgia, particularly with Augusta having proven very difficult to play this week.
Indeed, many of their high-profile rivals found it too difficult and have very surprisingly failed to make the cut this year.
Finishing on six-over, Bryson DeChambeau perhaps represents the biggest shock, with his fellow LIV Golf ace Cameron Smith finishing on seven-over.
Two-time champion Bubba Watson has also missed the cut, along with PGA Tour stars Robert MacIntyre, J.J. Spaun and Min Woo Lee.
But at the opposite end of the leaderboard, defending champion Rory McIlroy has been demonstrating his world-class ability.
He enters the third round with a six-shot advantage, which is the biggest 36-hole lead in the entire history of The Masters.
American duo Sam Burns and Patrick Reed are his nearest rivals on six-under, with European Ryder Cup teammates Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood a further shot back.
Read more:
Disappointed Min Woo Lee shares his ‘biggest takeaway’ from Augusta after ending day two on 11-over
Justin Rose shares what is so unusual about Augusta National this year
Tyrrell Hatton gives his verdict on the fans at Augusta National, ‘even if they dislike you’
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