Let's be clear: Playing Augusta National this week is no child's play. The greens are slippery and just a small miss can have devastating consequences.
In other words, the weekend could offer major reversals, which is exactly what Ludvig Åberg must be hoping for.
Wants to close the door
Friday's 70, two under par, was really good and a big step in the right direction after Thursday's round of 74. But Åberg has to play the golf of his life for two days to once again be able to get involved in the fight for victory.
"I definitely liked what I saw today. Hopefully we can come out tomorrow and put some pressure, close the gap a little on the leaders," said the 26-year-old from Eslöv.
He arrives at the interview zone outside the Augusta clubhouse with a smile on his face, having finished the round with a birdie despite a visit to the fairway bunker on the 18th.
"Of course it's a bonus to make a birdie there," Åberg said.
Made five birdies
Otherwise, he didn't get much for free during the round, which was played in scorching sun and 26 degrees. The game was actually more stable and better than the scorecard ultimately showed.
"There's definitely a low score out there. And if I had been really, really efficient, I probably would have gotten a few more shots out of it, I think," says Åberg, who made five birdies and three bogeys.
"It was almost a bit of a stupid bogey. The sixth, where I played the front edge a bit too much with a good shot (and ended up in the bunker). The seventh, where I should have taken some spin off the wedge (the ball spun off the green). 17 was a stupid three-putt. I think overall I had more control over things than I did yesterday," Åberg said.
Åberg started the day in a tie for 40th place and had climbed to a tie for 22nd place when he finished the second round. At that time, there were still several hours of play on the course. Among those still playing was last year's winner Rory McIlroy, who after his first seven holes had taken a two-stroke lead over three other players.
Ludvig Åberg, at par overall, was then seven strokes behind McIlroy.
Alex Norén was +6 after six holes and will primarily focus on trying to make the cut, which looks likely to end up at +3 or +4.
