Four Way Tie For the Lead After 2nd Round of the Masters

It’s a four-way tie for the top at the Masters, with Thomas Pieters and Rickie Fowler joining Charley Hoffman and Sergio Garcia late in the second round.

Pieters is a 25-year-old Belgian playing his first Masters. He had five birdies in his first 10 holes Thursday to move in front at 5 under. However, two double-bogeys down the stretch sent him back to even par.

But Pieters was at it again in the second round, with an eagle on the par-5 13th and a birdie on the 14th to catch Hoffman and Garcia, who were both in the clubhouse at 4-under par.

Fowler joined the quartet with his birdie on the 13th hole.

The group is two shots clear of the next four ties at 2-under, which includes three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, 1992 green jacket winner Fred Couples and Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose.

Former Masters champ Jordan Spieth is also on the move.

Spieth seemed out of contention after his opening 75, which included a quadruple-bogey 9 on the 15th hole. He was 10 shots behind leader Charley Hoffman and knew it would be an uphill climb to get back in the mix.

A day later, Spieth has cut his deficit by more than half. He had three birdies in his last six holes to shoot a 69 and move within four strokes of leaders Hoffman, Sergio Garcia, Thomas Pieters and Rickie Fowler.

Few have had as stellar a start to their Augusta National careers as Spieth, who’s finished second, first and second in his three appearances.