Suffice it to say that this year's Masters has been interesting, and that's an understatement. Bubba Watson, the leader headed into the weekend, strung together five straight birdies on his second nine to grab a three-stroke lead. Defending champion Adam Scott is one of several on his heels, a list that also includes 20-year-old Jordan Spieth and 54-year-old Fred Couples.
But perhaps more intriguing is who won't be playing on the weekend. The list of players that missed the cut reads like a who's who of golf. Here's some of the more notable names.
Sergio Garcia: Coming off a tie T-8 in last year's Masters, it comes as something of a surprise that the Spaniard won't be playing on the weekend. And he missed out in rather regrettable fashion, bogeying his final two holes en route to a 75.
Luke Donald: The former world No. 1 had one of the better rounds Friday, firing a 2-under 70. Unfortunately, his round Thursday was a mess: Donald shot a 79 after taking an 8 on the par-4 9th.
Ernie Els: The four-time major champion missed the cut in a major for the second straight time having failed to reach the weekend at last year's PGA Championship. Els rolled in 10 bogey putts. That's not useful.
Phil Mickelson: Lefty found himself behind the proverbial eight ball with a first round 76. To make matters worse, he tripled 12 and looked for all the world to be dead in the water. He was, but he made a valiant charge with birdies on three of his final five holes. Just wasn't quite enough.
Augusta National will be without some familiar faces this weekend. (Getty Images)
Zach Johnson: The former Masters champion opened with a 78 and was never quite able to get back on track.
Dustin Johnson: A trendy pick to threaten the leaders this year, Johnson is still waiting for his breakthrough in a major championship. He has six top-10 finishes in majors, including the infamous 2010 PGA Championship that he lead on the final hole before incurring a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club. On the bright side, he's engaged to Paulina Gretzky.
Patrick Reed: If you brand yourself one of the world's five best players, it's a bad look to miss the cut at a major by four strokes. Just sayin'.
Jason Dufner: The 2013 PGA Championship winner missed his first cut in a major since 2011, and it wasn't even close. Quadruple bogeys, like the one Dufner recorded Thursday on No. 13, will do that to you.
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