Masters Tee Times Leaderboard
Defending champion Rory McIlroy seized control of the 90th Masters with a brilliant burst of scoring on the back nine to take a record six-shot lead at the halfway stage.
The Northern Irishman birdied six of his final seven holes – including a chip-in at the 17th – in a second-round 65 to reach -12 and surge clear from a high-quality chasing pack at Augusta National.
It is the largest 36-hole lead at the Masters, with American duo Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, and Sam Burns the nearest challengers to McIlroy at -6
Justin Rose, who McIlroy beat in a play-off to win the Green Jacket last year, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry sit in a share of fourth place at -5 after a strong showing by the European Ryder Cup trio.
McIlroy ended a near 11-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam with a dramatic play-off victory over Rose 12 months ago and is playing with freedom as he targets more Masters history.
Victory this week would see him become just the fourth player in history to repeat as Masters champion, after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
After withdrawing with a back injury at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, McIlroy has not played since The Players Championship and many outside observers questioned whether he could challenge for this year’s Green Jacket.
But he disproved any pre-tournament doubts with a 67 on Thursday, backing that up in spectacular fashion a day later with a brilliant short game performance and an improved showing off the tee after finding only five fairways in the first round.
In a sign of the confidence and freedom he is playing with, McIIlroy made a hat-trick of birdies at from the second, but a missed green from the fairway at the fifth resulted in his first dropped shot of the day.
A second would follow at the tenth, but a brilliant tee shot at the world-famous 12th provided a spark for McIlroy as his wedge game helped him birdie the 13th.
That moved him to -8 but with a host of Major champions out on the course in close contention McIlroy accelerated as he took advantage of the par-five 15th before birdieing the 16th after another exquisite tee shot.
However, he was reliant on his short game at the 17th, chipping in from off the green to huge roars from the patrons, before closing out his round in style after another precise approach for a closing birdie and a stunning -7 65, which incidentally was 9 shots better than the betting favourite Scott Scheffler who struggled on the greens to a +2 74.
After a week of sunshine, conditions were tough on the opening day but the greens were watered ahead of the second round and scoring proved easier as a result.
Race to Dubai Rankings leader Reed shot a -3 69 that finished with a bogey as he too, like McIlroy, bids for his second Green Jacket having won the Masters in 2018.
Burns, who held a share of the first-round lead, closed with back-to-back birdies and will play alongside McIlroy in the final group of Saturday's third round.
Making his 21st Masters start, Rose knows he'll need a brilliant weekend in his quest for an elusive first Masters having on his opening 70 with a 69 that featured four birdies in a five-hole stretch.
While the former World Number One was part of the morning wave of starters on Friday, both Fleetwood and Lowry were among the final groups of the day.
Fleetwood made two eagles in his 68 to give him hope of a first Major Championship victory, while Lowry birdied two of his final three holes in a bogey-free 69 to also get to -5.
EDIT>>>>The cut fell at +4. Both Canadians will play the weekend, Corey Conners bogeyed his last two holes to just make it T47 75 73 +4 while Nick Taylor is T20 71 72 -1.
Bryson DeChambeau took a horrendous triple bogey 7 at the 18th to miss the cut 76 74 +6, while his LIV compatriot on Rahm T47 78 70 +4 to squeak in.
The victorious European Ryder Cup team is starring on the leaderboard with Rory 1st, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are all T4 -5, Tyrrell Hatton is T7 -4 after his -6 66.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
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