Hoffman happy heading into weekend

Charley Hoffman has little trouble putting his status in the Masters Tournament into perspective.

With a 36-hole score of 4-under-par 140 at Augusta National Golf Club, he didn’t seem to care that it was the product of a 65 in the first round that led by four shots and a 75 in Friday’s second round that included five bogeys – three in succession at Nos. 6, 7 and 8.

Hoffman was tied for the lead with Sergio Garcia at the time he finished his round and his demeanor with the media afterwards suggested he would have been just as happy had he shot a bogey-free 70-70.

PHOTOS: Hoffman's Friday round

“Obviously a lot more difficult today,” he said. “I got out of position. Didn’t capitalize. Didn’t make the putts. I did a lot of work (Thursday), which sort of made up for how I played today. I think 4-under is pretty darned good around this track, no matter if it’s calm or windy. I’m obviously happy with where I’m at.”

Hoffman actually hit two more fairways in the second round but he found the putting surface four fewer times (hitting 10 of 18) and he had 31 putts, six more than in the first round.

His day started well enough. Hoffman got his score to 8-under through five holes to lead by five shots, but began his string of bogeys when he missed the sixth and seventh greens short-right, then missed par-putt attempts of 17 and 5 feet.

Hoffman then three-putted the par-5 No. 8 and bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 after his tee shots found the trees, left at the 10th and right at the 11th.

“A lot of holes left,” he said when asked if he gave himself any kind of pep talk. “The bogeys kept coming but my attitude was good. I didn’t make any real mental errors. I just didn’t execute.”

He regained his footing with a good tee shot at No. 12, followed by a two-putt from 13 feet, and he followed that with an 8-foot birdie putt at No. 13.

Hoffman parred out after that. He and Matt Kuchar are the only players in the field to play Nos. 12 through 18 with no bogeys in the first 36 holes.

Hoffman’s experience in contending in major championships on the weekend is thin. He was in the final twosome with Jordan Spieth in the third round in 2015 but was five shots behind Spieth. Hoffman shot 71 that day.

“Just keep building off what I did two years ago,” he said of his game plan. “I know on the weekend I got tentative with the putter. I don’t think I’m going to get tentative with the putter on the weekend this year. I learned from that.”