Masters notebook: Tiger Woods makes weekend plans to contend. Mackenzie Hughes just makes the cut

The reward Tiger Woods gets for navigating a tough Augusta National the last two days, with a right leg held together by metal rods and screws, is two more days of doing it all over again.

Despite a 2-over-par 74 on Friday, Woods made the cut at the Masters — some 500 days after his last PGA Tour start. It’s his 22nd consecutive made cut at the major event.

The five-time Masters winner sits 1 over through 36 holes and while he’s well back of the lead held by Scottie Scheffler, at 8-under 136, that matters little. With a laugh, Woods, tied for 19th, told ESPN after the round that he didn’t feel as good as he’d like to feel. But then he went into competitor mode.

“I’ve got a chance going into the weekend,” said Woods, “and hopefully I’ll have a light-bulb moment on the weekend and get it done. You’ve seen guys do it on the back nine (on Sunday). If you’re within five or six on the back nine, you have a chance … but I need to get myself there.”

Woods had a wild Friday, but if Thursday’s opening round taught us anything — actually, pick your comeback in terms of lessons learned — you should never count him out.

He made bogeys on four of his first five holes, but started to claw back with birdies on the eighth and 10th. After back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12, he made consecutive birdies on 13 and 14. He nearly added a third on 15, but his try slid by the cup to the left.

Scheffler, who came into the week after wins at three of his past five PGA Tour events, has stayed very much in form through two rounds. After a 5-under 67 on Friday, he leads a group of four — including defending champion Hideki Matsuyama — by five shots. That ties the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.

While Scheffler looks as casual as can be heading into the weekend, the man whose TW logo adorns Scheffler’s shoes will be labouring. Woods used his trusty Scotty Cameron putter as a cane while walking into the scoring area.

But each shot, each round, each step is a mission accomplished. Now Woods wants to win the whole thing. Why not?

“There will be tough scoring conditions,” Woods said of Saturday, “and I need to handle my business and get (under par) and give myself a chance going into the back nine on Sunday.”

Hughes survives

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes made the cut on the number — 4-over 148 — despite a tough stretch on his back nine, and thanks to a fabulous closing birdie.

Hughes had a roller-coaster Friday en route to a 3-over 75, including five bogeys and an ugly double bogey on the par-5 13th after losing his tee shot in the trees. The birdie he made on 18 came after he was stymied in the fairway bunker. He called his approach, which landed nine feet from the hole, a “top-five shot” for his career.

This is the second year in a row that he has made the cut at the Masters. He finished tied for 40th last time.

Canadian Mike Weir, the 2003 champion, missed the cut. He shot 4-over 76 on Friday and ended up 6 over.

Cink hole

Stewart Cink made a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th, the sixth ace of his PGA Tour career. He used an 8-iron from 166 yards.

After the ace, Cink was embraced by his son/caddy Reagan, who was celebrating his 24th birthday Friday. It was the 24th hole-in-one at No. 16 in Masters history.

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