AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Ben Crenshaw closed out his Masters career with two rounds he would prefer to forget, but a lifetime of memories from his 44 appearances at Augusta National.
Crenshaw, a two-time Masters champion, was greeted by his longtime caddie, Carl Jackson of Little Rock, when he came off the 18th green for the final time Friday after making another bogey.
Jackson, a 2015 inductee in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, wasn't in good enough health to carry the clubs for 36 holes, so he turned over the duties to his younger brother Bud, a longtime caddie at Augusta National. But Carl donned the white coveralls, with Crenshaw's name on the back, and walked slowly on the green to hug the golfer after he tapped out for a 13-over-par 85.
Crenshaw, 63, finished last in the field with a 176 -- 32 over par.
Defending Master champion Bubba Watson, having just finished his round about a half-hour earlier, was among those who came out to watch Crenshaw close out his competitive Augusta playing career. Crenshaw's wife, three daughters and other family members were also there for the emotional scene.
Compton OK, wife not
Erik Compton was just fine Friday afternoon. His wife, not so much.
Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient, shot an even-par 72 on Friday to easily make the cut at his first Masters. He's 1-over heading into today's third round.
His wife, Barbara Casco Compton, was not doing quite as well. She greeted her surprised husband in the post-round scoring area sporting crutches with her left foot in a brace.
Compton was aware his wife had a little mishap Friday morning. She had stumbled on the stairs of their rented home as she got ready to come to Augusta National. She actually shook it off to follow her husband on the front nine.
But by the turn, her ankle was swollen and sore. She was attended by one of Augusta National's trainers and was told to get off it immediately.
"You OK?" Compton asked as they kissed and embraced under the famous Big Oak outside the clubhouse. "You walked the front nine, didn't you?"
"I did, but I was limping and it started to hurt very bad," she said.
Both the Comptons were feeling good about his golf game. In fact, while pleased to have made his first cut in a major since finishing second in last summer's U.S. Open, Compton said he was slightly annoyed not to be more prominently in the mix.
Ten years ago ...
Mark O'Meara made the cut at the Masters and will be playing the weekend at Augusta for the first time in 10 years.
It's been a decade since the 58-year-old played well enough to hang around Augusta National and play the final two rounds.
O'Meara followed his opening 73 with a 4-under-par 68 on Friday and a 141 total.
It was good enough for him to make the cut for the first time since 2005. He shot his first round under 70 since the final day in 2001 when he tied for 20th.
He tees off this afternoon with Louis Oosthuizen an hour before leader Jordan Spieth.
Comeback kids
The leader going into today's round is Jordan Spieth, who is 5 strokes clear of the field at 14 under and threatening to run away with the tournament like another 21-year-old, Tiger Woods, once did.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy knows how suddenly a lead can unravel in a major. At the 2006 U.S. Open, Mickelson led by 2 strokes with three holes to play. He lost by a shot to Ogilvy, who said at the time, "I think I was the beneficiary of a little bit of charity."
"The way he's been playing," Ogilvy said, referring to Spieth, "I'm sure the course won't catch up to him, but Augusta seems to get its own back at some point."
He added: "You never know. People have shot 12-under on the weekends before."
The worst strategy any of Spieth's challengers could adopt, Ogilvy said, would be to come out today and go for every pin as if they had nothing to lose.
"You can't force anything around here, because if you do it's going to go really badly," he said.
"As the course gets presented, I'll play it the Augusta way, and if I hit good shots and make the putts, I'll have a good weekend."
Sports on 04/11/2015