Hlas column: While Zach Johnson heads home, Tiger Woods relocates his happy place

AUGUSTA, Ga. - To continue playing at the Masters this weekend, Zach Johnson needed to either make one more birdie or one less bogey, or have Rory McIlroy stumble Friday afternoon.

Johnson would have been better off controlling his own situation with that birdie/bogey thing, and he knew it four hours before McIlroy knocked him out of the tournament.

To make the 36-hole cut here, you must be among the top 44 players and ties, or within 10 shots of the lead. Johnson shot 73 for the second-straight day for a 2-over-par 146, finishing his round early in the afternoon. He knew he wasn't likely to land in the top 44 (he tied for 50th), so his best chance was if no one closed the day better than 8-under. Which is where McIlroy stood through four holes of his second round.

“Nobody's gotten to 9 all day,” a reporter told Johnson.

“It doesn't look good,” he replied. “I mean, the wind's got to blow. The wind's got to blow.”

“Seems like it's picking up a little,” that reporter said.

“I like your optimism,” Johnson said.

Less than five minutes later, McIlroy birdied No. 5 to get to 9-under. He continued his stellar play, and takes a 2-shot lead and a score of 10-under 134 into today's third round at Augusta National.

Meanwhile, the Masters champion of four years ago will head south 200 miles. The Cedar Rapids native has made St. Simons Island, Ga., his adopted home. It's a great place, but it could have waited another two days.

“I'm frustrated, very frustrated,” Johnson said. “I'm playing a lot better than I shot, which is very frustrating. I hit a lot of good shots that didn't get me anywhere. I hit some bad shots that put me in predicaments.”

Over 36 holes, there was never that one putt that kick-started things, something to induce some sort of memory of his four rounds that produced a win here in 2007.

“I made four birdies for the week and shot 2-over,” said Johnson. “The birdies were a combined eight feet, maybe seven feet. That's frustrating. I didn't putt well.”

The next Masters champion who doesn't putt well will probably be the first. Johnson's percentages of fairways hit and greens reached in regulation was better than, for instance, Jason Day, who is in second-place at 8-under, has needed just 54 putts. McIlroy had taken 57. Johnson had 64, which tied him for 87th in putting in the 99-player field.

You see it every year here. Elite players who don't putt well here make abbreviated appearances. Graeme McDowell, last year's U.S. Open champ, took more putts (70) than anyone in the tourney in the first 36 holes. Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open winner, also putted poorly here and is done.

A third major-winner from last year, PGA Championship titlist Martin Kaymer, also missed the cut. He is the world's top-ranked player, for at least another two days.

So far, the not-so-old old guard has ceded to a kiddie corps of 21-year-old McIlroy, 24-year-old Day, and 22-year-old Rickie Fowler, who is 5-under. Children didn't used to be seen or heard here.

One old-timer did pull himself way up the leader board Friday, though. Perhaps you've heard of him. He shot a 66 Friday to get to 7-under. He gave one of his famous fist pumps, a sight seldom seen in the last 18 months, after his straight-line, 8-foot birdie putt in the early-evening twilight fell in the cup after his sensational second shot from the second cut of rough, sliced around some trees.

His name is Tiger Woods. He is staying through Sunday.