Masters 2024: Updated Predictions for Top Prize Money

Friday at the Masters will be a long day for Tiger Woods and the golfers who did not complete their first rounds.

Twenty-seven golfers will return on Friday morning to finish their first 18 holes and they will immediately turn back around to begin the second round.

Woods will be one of the golfers impacted by the extra holes because it is difficult for him to walk around parts of Augusta National Golf Club due to his litany of injuries.

Woods is trying to keep a streak of consecutive made cuts at the Masters alive. He will at least have the most favorable conditions of the day to take advantage of.

Max Homa, who is playing with Woods, Tyrrell Hatton and others in the morning wave of tee times could benefit most from the weather, which is expected to get worse as the afternoon rolls on.

That could mean a difficult 18 holes is in store for leader Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler.

Woods looked sharp as one could hope on Thursday.

The form of the 15-time major winner was in question because he only played one tune-up event ahead of the trip to Augusta.

Woods enters Friday at one-under with five holes left to play in his first round.

He must keep the consistency from his first 13 holes to finish the opening round with a good score and create some positive momentum going into the second round.

The back nine of the second round is where Woods could experience some difficulties because of his physical limitations.

Woods does not need to do anything spectacular. No one is expecting him to contend for the green jacket and the $3.24 million prize that comes with winning, but he can be around for the weekend.

Woods is looking to make his 24th consecutive cut at the Masters, and as long as his body holds up, he should achieve that feat with a consistent 23 holes on Friday.

The players with Friday morning tee times may seem like they are at a disadvantage because most of them have to finish their first rounds.

However, playing on Friday morning could come with lower scores.

According to AccuWeather, there is a wind advisory in place in Augusta, Georgia starting at 11 a.m. ET. Roto Grinders’ Kevin Roth said winds will blow at a stronger rate come Friday afternoon with gusts up to 40 miles per hour.

Homa and Nicolai Hojgaard are the closest players to DeChambeau on the leaderboard with holes left to finish.

Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa are all around even-par, but with 25 or 26 holes to play on Friday, one of them could surge up the leaderboard before the weather becomes unbearable.

If the wind is as bad as predicted, DeChambeau, Scheffler and others in the afternoon wave could drop shots to the course, which would allow the morning wave of golfers with scores already set a good chance to top the standings after Friday’s play.

It is not exactly a bold prediction to say the top golfer in the world will make up a one-shot gap in a single round.

Scheffler played a bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday to set up him to potentially create separation on the leaderboard.

Two years ago, Scheffler cruised into a multi-shot lead on Friday and never looked back.

DeChambeau only had one bogey on Thursday, but he has carded at least one 74 in each of his five Masters appearances.

DeChambeau has yet to put together the ideal weekend at Augusta. He shot a 75 in the second round in 2019 after he tied for the first-round lead with a 66.

Scheffler is built to be uber consistent and that will help him deal with the conditions better than DeChambeau throughout Friday’s round.