FROM AUGUSTA, GA. — Well, look what the wind blew in.
Just when it appeared the gusty Masters was going to be steamrolled Friday by a parade of Jordan Spieth’s flawless putts and perfect smiles, he was hit by a midday train to Georgia.
Name of Rory McIlroy. Remember him?
The distinct rumble could be heard from miles away, and, once arrived, the familiar force dumped a potentially calm weekend on its azaleas.
“It’s almost a different golf tournament now,” Spieth said.
It’s no longer even a golf tournament, it’s a 36-hole prize fight beginning with the final twosome Saturday afternoon, leader Spieth entering at four under par, McIlroy at one shot worse, two of the world’s most accomplished young golfers dueling at the peak of their powers.
They are both under 27, have won six majors combined, will be sharing a tee box on a Masters weekend for the first time, and none of that is even the best part.
Spieth is golf’s golden child attempting to survive potentially the most serious storm of his young career. McIlroy is golf’s former golden child desperately trying to use that storm to recapture his shine.
Said Spieth, smiling: “I’d rather be playing with someone less threatening, to be honest.”
Said McIlroy, serious: “A lot of buzz and excitement and atmosphere.”
Spieth, No. 2 in the world, led No. 3 McIlroy by six strokes early in Friday’s round, but then it became a lot of face plants for one guy and fist pumps for the other.
Spieth lost his touch in the whipping afternoon wind, missing putts, rushing shots, shouting at himself, shouting about officials, finally finishing with a 74, his first round over par in his three-year Masters career.
At one point, he literally pleaded with ball, shouting, “Go, go … please go!”
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Danny Willett of England walks along the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth gathers his thoughts on the 18th green before finishing the final round with a one-over 73.
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Jordan Spieth presents Danny Willett the winner’s green jacket Sunday evening at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Augusta National chairman William Porter Payne presents American Bryson DeChambeau with the trophy for being the top amateur at the Masters during the awards ceremony Sunday evening.
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Masters champion Danny Willett gives the thumbs-up sign to fans after the awards ceremony at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth gets a pat on the back from caddie Michael Greller on the 18th hole after finishing second at the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth takes a second drop on the 12th hole after one of the two times his shots landed in Rae’s Creek while hitting approach shots there during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Jordan Spieth plays his second shot on the 11th hole from the trees during the final round of the Masters on Sunday.
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Danny Willett reacts after making a putt at No. 14 on Sunday during the final round of the Masters.
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan chips onto a green during the final round of the Masters on Sunday.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot out of the bunker during the final round of the Masters.
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Lee Westwood of England reacts after making an eagle on the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Jason Day of Australia reacts after playing a shot Sunday during the final round of the Masters.
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Patrons leave Augusta National Golf Club after the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot onto the 16th green during third round of the Masters.
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Bernhard Lange tips his cap to the crowd after putting out at No. 18 during the third round of the Masters on Saturday.
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Jordan Spieth walks out of the trees along the 18th fairway after hitting a recovery shot during the third round of the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth hits out of the rough along the 17th fairway Saturday during the third round of the Masters.
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan plays his second shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy reacts to a missed birdie putt on the 17th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain lines up a putt on the 13th green during the third round of the Masters.
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American Scott Piercy creates a splash of sand as he hits out of a bunker during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 17th tee during the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy hits out of a bunker on the 18th green during Round 1 of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Ian Poulter, of England, reacts after missing a putt on the first hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Danny Lee, of New Zealand, hits a drive on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Mike Weir of Canada hit out of a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jason Day, of Australia, watches his drive on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Charl Schwartzel, of South Africa, hits out of a bunker on the fourth hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Patrons walk along the first fairway before the start of play during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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A scorekeeper peers through a hole from behind a board during Round 1 of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Martin Kaymer of Germany down the fairway on the fifteenth hole during the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Australia’s Steven Bowditch putts on 1st hole during Round 1 of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in April. (DON EMMERT / AFP/Getty Images)
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Rickie Fowler hits out of the rough off the first fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth hits on the second fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Victor Dubuisson of France and caddie Leonard Francois walk up the third fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Amateur Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the third hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the first hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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A scorekeeper places numbers on a leaderboard during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jack Nicklaus waves before hitting a ceremonial first tee shot before the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Steven Bowditch of Australia celebrates after chipping in a birdie on the first hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Lee Westwood of England chips on the second hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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A sign bearing the names of the honorary starters Gary Player of South Africa, Jack Nicklaus of the U.S. and Arnold Palmer of the U.S. before they ceremonially open the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player together on the first tee at the ceremonially opening of the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament.
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Patrons wait for the gates to open near the first fairway before the start of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Patrons file onto the course after the gates are opened near the first fairway before the start of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
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Spectators line a fairway to watch the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press) Another time, he loudly grumbled that he had rushed a shot during a burst of wind because Masters officials had put his slow-moving threesome on the clock.
“We’re being freaking timed, I want to take my time and wait out the gusts, but we can’t,” he complained to caddie Michael Greller.
Afterward in a news conference, Spieth admitted he was rattled, but then challenged the media members to endure similar conditions.
“It was very tough to stay cool,” Spieth said. “You could say, ‘Looked like you got emotional out there.’ I mean, you guys try it. That was a hard golf course.”
Meanwhile, his tight shirt hugging his muscular frame and his purposeful strut blowing past his partners, McIlroy was the epitome of cool. Cutting three strokes off par in the final six holes, he sank a winding 39-foot putt on No. 16, chipped perfectly out of the pine straw, and nailed a twisting final putt to save par and finish with a 71.
“I kept my composure and played the shots when I needed to,” he said.
At the beginning of McIlroy’s run, the loudest roars he heard came from Spieth fans on other side of Augusta National. But by the time he marched up No. 18 — and yes, the dude was literally marching — those cheers were for him.
“I’m trying to beat guys on this leaderboard that I’ve beaten before, so I need to take confidence from that and know that I’ve been in this position before,” McIlroy said.
Yet, even with two more major victories, it is clearly McIlroy who is trying to catch up to Spieth.
Before Spieth was going to be the next Tiger Woods, McIlroy was the one growling. Before Spieth’s two major wins in 2015, there were McIlroy’s two major wins in 2014.
While Spieth was stealing golf’s heart last summer, McIlroy was breaking his ankle playing soccer and breaking down to the point of wondering whether he had already become irrelevant.
“I don’t want to be left behind,” McIlroy said earlier this week. “I want to be part of the conversation. I’m clinging on at the minute; a few wins will change that.”
A win here would change everything, because Augusta is one of the biggest differences between the two golfers right now. Spieth is the defending Masters champion, while this is the one major that McIlroy has never won. Spieth has starred here, now finishing with the Masters lead for a record six consecutive rounds. McIlroy has melted down here, blowing a four-stroke lead on the final day in 2011 by shooting an 80 and finishing in a tie for 15th.
How bad did the golf gods want this pairing to happen? Even with McIlroy’s run, the tournament was about 10 minutes from having Spieth teamed with amateur Bryson DeChambeau on Saturday’s final pairing, but then DeChambeau hit two tee shots into the woods on the final hole, scored a triple bogey, and disappeared from the top of the leaderboard.
“Look, I know it’s a very big weekend for me,” McIlroy said. “I know that.”
A big weekend for both guys, two stars arriving at the same place from very different angles, just check out their NBA heroes.
Spieth is friends with Stephen Curry, who recently tweeted, “All the best to my guy @JordanSpieth going for Jacket #2.”
McIlroy countered by honoring Kobe Bryant, showing up Thursday wearing black and gold golf shoes marked with the date of Bryant’s last game of “4/13”
There are 57 players remaining in this Masters, but, at least for one day, it will be about a game of one-on-one.
Follow Bill Plaschke on Twitter: @billplaschke
