The American clung on to a share of the lead in Augusta as he finished with a three-over-par 75 on the second day, level with Sergio García
It took 36 hours and 23 holes but sometime around midday on Friday Charley Hoffman, a portly 40-year-old ranked No52 in the world, finally realised he was playing in the Masters. For the last day-and-a-half, Hoffman seemed to have fooled himself into thinking he was playing in some small town Sunday fundraiser, the Pro-Am at Podunk Country Club.
On Thursday, Hoffman played one of the finest opening rounds in the history of the Masters, a seven-under-par 65, which left him four shots clear of the next best, and was 10 strokes ahead of the average score for the day. That night, no joke, some of the more excitable American pundits were asking out loud where his round was ranked among the greatest ever played. Whatever your answer, it was some accomplishment for a man who has won four PGA events in 17 years.
Related: Sergio García shines at Masters to raise hopes of end to major drought
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