Jordan Spieth Leaves the Masters Field in His Wake

April 10, 2015 7:47 p.m. ET

Augusta, Ga.

Poor Charley Hoffman.

The journeyman 38-year-old, mostly known for the mullet he used to sport and for once tossing his putter into a lake in the middle of a round, picked the worst year ever to play two freakishly great rounds. At any other Masters, Hoffmans 67-68 would make him an irresistibly sentimental story. At this one, hes five shots back of the lead and has been reduced to little more than supporting character status in what looks like the breakout moment for prodigy Jordan Spieth.

On another benign, ideal scoring day, Spieth, the 21-year-old Texan, set the 36-hole scoring record here and seized control of the tournament with a sizzling, six-under-par 66 that followed his opening round 64. There is still plenty of golf to be played, and no one knows that better than Spieth, who coughed up a two-shot lead with 11 holes to play last year. But his performance has set up this 79th Masters to become one of those transitional moments in golf that seems to arrive once every decade, if that.

You got to put aside wanting to win so badly, the frighteningly mature Spieth said after his round. No scoreboard watching.

Friday at the Masters had a transformative feel to itespecially rare in a place that is known for trying to make time stand still and changes only grudgingly.

Ben Crenshaw played his last competitive round. His longtime Masters caddie, Carl Jackson, who was with Crenshaw for his historic wins in 1984 and 1995, left the grounds and might never be back. Club chairman Billy Payne noted Augusta National has no mechanism for honoring or bringing back even its best-known former employees. Fare thee well, Carl.

Tom Watson, so crisp with his one-under-par 71 at 65 years old Thursday, got whacked by Father Time with his second round 81.

Tiger Woods patted himself on the back for a three-under 69, which left him a dozen shots behind Spieth. It was an odd spectacle, but there are seemingly different standards now for Woods, who was competing for the first time in two months and had his best round here in years. Woods showed glimpses of his old form with an eagle on the 13th hole.

Dustin Johnson seared the course to go from even to seven-under, carding three eagles in a single round for the first time in Masters history. He might be on the verge of putting behind him the personal problems that forced him off the PGA Tour last year.

Even Spieth seemed transformed from just 24 hours earlier. Heading toward the low-60s on the back nine Thursday, he started dreaming of a 62 and sent an approach shot on the par-5, 15th hole flying over the green. No part of me was going to lay up yesterday, Spieth said of the first round. Friday, he did, on both back-nine, par-fives, the 13th and 15th, where he hit short irons instead of his more powerful hybrid club to just in front of the water hazards.

Its tough, because I just want to hit hybrid, I want to get it on the green in two, he said. It was the right decision today.

Clearly. Spieth birdied both holes anyway, and four others, for 15 this week so far. The most impressive might have been the 570-yard eighth hole, where his tee shot landed in a bunker. Spieth wedged out of the sand, then crushed an approach shot that slowed on the ideal bank on the left side of the green and rolled to within three feet of the hole.

Michael Greller, the former grade school teacher who is now Spieths caddie, said Spieth came in especially hungry after losing in a playoff last weekend in Houston. Greller said Spieth desperately wanted to try for an eagle on 15 but felt a gust of wind and thought better of it. He doesnt play for second place, Greller said of Spieth.

h**l need every bit of that patience on the weekend on a course where leads can disappear with absurd speed. Greg Norman opened with a 12-under 132 in 1996 and held a six-shot lead before the final round. He lost by five strokes. Rory McIlroy had a four-shot lead at 12-under on Sunday in 2011 when he was 21-years old. By the 12th hole hed lost seven shots and finished fourth.

McIlroy was supposed to pick up the career grand slam this week. Instead he struggled with the cut line for most of the day and only got back to even par on the 13th hole.

As for Spieths challengers, Johnson appears hot and dangerous, despite a tendency to lose his way on the weekends in majors. Recent rain, the lack of much wind and the lingering humidity has made this course play long, ideal for big long hitters like Johnson, who is the longest hitter on the tour.

Rose, the former U.S. Open champion, shot a 33 on the back nine Friday to lurch within seven shots of the lead. Phil Mickelson, the three-time champion, blazed the back nine Friday to get to six-under on a course that favors lefties.

And then there is Hoffman, who is only here because he won something called the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico in November, just his third PGA Tour win in 256 career starts at the time. Hoffman signed up for the tournament because he honeymooned in Mexico and loves the country. Now hes in the final pairing on Saturday at the Masters. Its a heck of a story, just as good as Spiethsat least not yet.

Write to Matthew Futterman at matthew.futterman@wsj.com

Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/jordan-spieth-leaves-the-masters-field-in-his-wake-1428709643