Masters 2009 Poulter

England’s Ian Poulter scrambled his way to a 1-over-par 73 in the second round, which leaves him at level par for the tournament. While he drove the ball fairly solidly, his approach shots were not so good, and only a razor sharp short game allowed him to be level par for the tournament at the half-way stage and still in with a chance.

“We played the first couple of holes and then the wind picked up and it became very, very tricky. The wind was swirling, especially on the back nine, as much as I’ve ever seen it round here.”

He holed a putt from off the green at the 3rd for a par, after duffing a chip shot, and at the next had to hole an 18-footer to again stay at par. Then at the par-3 6th, he missed it on the one side you really don’t want to be, long and left, but once more got up and down from an impossible position.

“On the 12th, I chose to hit an 8-iron when the wind was into us off the right. Then, as I hit it, it seemed to carry on a left to right wind. That’s how tricky the hole is. One minute it’s a 9-iron, and then I hit an 8 into the water. But the back nine is tough today and I’m still right in it”

A lot of players struggled to cope with the ever-changing winds around the 12th. Ross Fisher dumped it in the water there