The Masters turns into a menace. Scheffler, DeChambeau and Homa hold on to share the lead

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Max Homa played the most beautifully boring round of golf amid raging wind and endless calamity Friday in the Masters, giving him a share of the lead with Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau going into a weekend for the survivors.

Homa made 15 pars — they all felt so much better than that — for a 1-under 71.

Scheffler finally made his first bogey of the Masters and then a few more, but he was rock solid down the stretch for a 72, his highest score of the year. DeChambeau played the 13th hole from the 14th fairway — at one point hoisting a wooden directional sign over his shoulder as he plotted his move — and finished with a 73.

For some 12 hours, the wind roared through the pines, scattered magnolia leaves across pristine Augusta National, and blew sand out of the white bunkers and into the faces of the players as they tried to handle a beast of a course.

“Mostly what I was trying to do out there was make a bunch of pars and stay in the golf tournament,” Scheffler said, a testament to just how difficult it was.

The 60 players who made the cut at 6-over 150 are expected to get a slight reprieve, though still plenty of wind. And that weekend will include Tiger Woods.

Woods set a Masters record by making the cut for the 24th consecutive time. He had to play 23 holes — five in the morning to finish the weather-delayed first round, and then a second round in which he kept the ball in play and posted an even-par 72.

He was only seven shots behind and still very much in the tournament.

“I’m here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament,” Woods said. “I got my two rounds in.”

That's really what it was all about — finishing, surviving.

“That was about as happy as you could be to be off of a golf course,” Homa said. “That was so hard. We got the sand shower to end our day. So it was kind of the golf course saying, ‘Get the hell out of here.’”

The average score was 75.09. Only eight players broke par, the same number of players who shot 80 or higher. Ludvig Aberg had the low round at 69.

“I've never experienced anything like this before,” DeChambeau said. “But what a great test.”

Homa heard some of the loudest cheers, even if they weren't for him. He spent two days with Woods, and caught the full experience of largest galleries, all of them rising to their feet when Woods approached tee boxes, or the 15th green that he managed to reach in two.

“The memories will just be a lot of the Tiger stuff,” Homa said. “I hope to build my own come this weekend, but I fortunately think I've done a good enough job of playing it one shot at a time that I can't really remember a ton of the round at the moment. I played really well, and I tried to play as boring as possible.

“I think just the view of this beautiful golf course with the sea of fans, it will be seared in my brain for a while.”

The leaders were at 6-under 138, two shots clear of Masters newcomer Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark, who shot a 73. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, one of only two fortunate souls to break par each of the first two rounds, had a 70 and was three behind.

Justin Thomas will have far worse memories. He was even par for the tournament on the par-5 15th hole, very much in the tournament. He hit iron to lay up and it raced along the turf and into the pond. That was the start of a double bogey-double bogey-bogey-double bogey finish. He shot 79 and missed the cut by one shot.

Defending champion Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy looked as though they might join him, but that was before the cut line began to move.

Rahm made a late charge for a 76, leaving him 11 shots out of the lead. McIlroy, missing only the Masters for the career Grand Slam, didn't make a birdie for only the third time in his 56 trips around Augusta National. He shot 77 and was 10 shots back.

Homa has some experience of the grandest of stages, playing with Woods during his final British Open at St. Andrews. He was far more comfortable with Woods at Augusta National, and his game was a big part of it. Homa picked up two early birdies, one of them on the par-3 fourth when he had to hit 7-wood.

His lone bogey was on the 11th, the hardest hole at Augusta National, and he buckled down against the most extreme conditions.

DeChambeau was the only player to reach 8 under at any point with his birdie on the 13th hole that was quite the expedition. He drove right into the pines and didn't see a clear route back to the fairway — not the 13th fairway, anyway.

So he looked to the right toward the 14th hole, even removing the sign post that he briefly carried over his shoulder — “It was probably 30 pounds, not too bad,” he said — and left himself 145 yards over the tributary to Rae's Creek to a back right pin.

“The patrons were nice enough to move over to the side to make sure it was wide enough so if I hit an errant one, nobody would get hit by the ball,” he said. “I hit a great great shot around the corner and was able to take advantage of a pretty open entrance to the green.”

He hit it to about 15 feet for birdie and dropped two shots coming in. In those conditions, that was acceptable.

The wind was so fierce that players thought it might be called, with balls oscillating and gusts arriving without notice. As it was, the rounds took nearly six hours to play.

Scheffler hit driver and 3-iron onto the 15th green on Thursday, and driver and 3-iron just to lay up on the 15th on Friday.

“It can be three clubs different, depending on what time you hit it,” Harris English said. “Ten to 20 seconds later or earlier, it can be a totally different shot.”

Among those making the cut were three Masters champions — 58-year-old Jose Maria Olazabal, 61-year-old Vijay Singh and 53-year-old Phil Mickelson — who have combined to play the Masters 97 times.

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Jon Rahm, of Spain, reacts after his second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tiger Woods reacts after his second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tiger Woods shields his face from the blowing sand on the 18th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Bryson DeChambeau waves after making a putt on the seventh hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Bryson DeChambeau ducks the wind on the 18th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Max Homa hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tiger Woods and caddie Lance Bennett shield, their faces form the blowing sand on the 18th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Jason Day, of Australia, shields himself from blowing sand on the 18th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Scottie Scheffler keeps over Rae's Creek on the 13th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the 13th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Max Homa waves after making a putt on the 18th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Bryson DeChambeau hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Max Homa lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the weather delayed first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tiger Woods looks at the leader board on the 18th hole during weather delayed first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tiger Woods hits from the bunker on the 18th hole during weather delayed first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Max Homa hits his tee shot on the first hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during second round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Friday, April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the 12th hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, GA. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tiger Woods walks with his caddie on the 13th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The Master flag waves to the breeze on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Wall Street pointed toward gains early Friday ahead of a report on U.S. employment that is expected to show the economy remains strong despite a prolonged period of high interest rates.

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.3% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7%.

Later Friday, the U.S. government will report on how many jobs employers added in April.

Economists expect it to show a slowdown in hiring from March. However, a report Thursday showed that fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected in the latest signal that the job market remains solid despite high interest rates.

The U.S. economy is in a tight spot, where the hope is that it remains strong enough to stay out of a recession but not so strong that it worsens the already stalled progress on inflation.

Stubbornly high readings on inflation this year pushed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to say on Wednesday that it will likely take “longer than previously expected” to get enough confidence about inflation to cut interest rates.

In equities trading early Friday, Apple rose 6% after the tech giant raised its dividend and announced a $110 billion share buyback, even as it posted the steepest quarterly decline in iPhone sales since the outset of the pandemic.

Expedia fell 12.2% after the online travel company beat Wall Street targets but lowered its full-year bookings guidance because its Vrbo rental unit has been slow to recover from its migration to Expedia's platform.

In Europe at midday, Germany's DAX gained 0.4%, while the CAC 40 in Paris and London's FTSE 100 each picked up 0.5%.

Markets in Tokyo and mainland China were closed for holidays.

The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar amid signs of heavy central bank intervention to tamp down the dollar’s advance.

The financial newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that estimates showed the government spending an estimated 8 trillion yen (about $50 billion) in reserves this week to try to keep the yen from slipping further against the dollar.

The weaker yen has helped boost prices for imported goods, a factor behind the Bank of Japan's recent decision to give up its negative interest rate policy and raise its benchmark rate to zero to 0.1% from a longstanding level of minus 0.1%. It might raise rates further, Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics said in a commentary, even if its target of 2% isn't met.

“Even though the economic case for preventing the yen from sliding is much weaker, the Ministry of Finance seems to have responded with an even more forceful round of foreign exchange interventions this week than it did two years ago," Thieliant said.

While a weak yen is a boon for Japanese companies that earn much of their revenues overseas, significant shifts in the foreign exchange market can play havoc with corporate planning and a sharply weaker yen also boosts costs for imports of oil and other vital commodities.

The dollar was trading at 153.18 yen early Friday, down from 153.65 late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.0748 from $1.0727.

In Asian trading, Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.5% to 18,475.92, tracking gains on Wall Street. News of fresh moves by Chinese leaders to energize the economy also helped drive buying of technology shares.

E-commerce giant Alibaba climbed 4.1% and rival JD.com was up 5.5%. Baidu advanced 4.4%.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.6% to 7,629.00 and the Kospi in Seoul slipped 0.3% to 2,676.63. Taiwan's Taiex picked up 0.5%.

India's Sensex shed 0.9% to 73,952.37.

On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 0.9%, a day after swinging sharply when the Federal Reserve said it's likely delaying cuts to interest rates but not planning to hike them. That more than halved its losses for the week. The Dow advanced 0.9% and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.5%.

In energy trading, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 35 cents to $79.30 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 5 cents on Thursday.

Brent crude, the international standard, added 43 cents to $84.10 per barrel.

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Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Currency traders pass by the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 3, 2024. Asian shares were mostly higher Friday ahead of a report on the U.S. jobs market, with several major markets including Tokyo and Shanghai closed for holidays. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work near the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 3, 2024. Asian shares were mostly higher Friday ahead of a report on the U.S. jobs market, with several major markets including Tokyo and Shanghai closed for holidays. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader smiles near the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)