AUGUSTA (AFP) — Defending champion Scottie Scheffler said it wasn’t just the wind swirling around Augusta National that made the going tough on Friday afternoon.

“It contributed a little bit,” the world No. 1 said after firing a one-under par 71 that left him three strokes behind leader Justin Rose going into Saturday’s third round.

“I definitely could have been a bit sharper on the back nine,” Scheffler said.

“Just a few too many mistakes.”

“But overall I did enough to stay in the tournament. Three shots back going into the weekend, it was very challenging out there on the back nine, so I took advantage of my opportunities, and hopefully I’ll clean up the card a little bit tomorrow.”

Scheffler’s biggest break on a rollercoaster day came at the par-three 12th, where his tee shot flew beyond the green and disappeared into the azalea bushes only to roll down the slope into the clear, allowing him to chip in for a birdie.

“I was fortunate to see the ball come out of the bushes there and was able to take advantage of the break,” he said.

But it was a mixed bag on the back nine, where he made four of his five bogeys balancing three birdies on each side.

“I had a couple three-putts. I didn’t hit as many fairways. I got myself in trouble off the tee on 18,” Scheffler said.

“It’s extremely challenging when you get greens this fast and you get that much wind, especially when it’s gusty,” he said.

“I did a good job of making some key up-and-downs, and I had the chip-in on 12, good up-and-down for par on 13, took advantage of a look there on 14.”

“Overall I felt like I did some good things out there to stay in the tournament.”

Scheffler, who also won the Masters in 2022, is trying to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players to win back-to-back Masters titles.

He won a total of nine titles, including Paris Olympics gold, in a stunning 2024 campaign.

But he has yet to win in a 2025 season that got off to a late start after he injured his hand in a Christmas Day cooking accident.