Reigning champion Rory McIlroy was at his sparkling best in the second round of the Masters on Friday as the Northern Irishman opened up a record six-shot lead at Augusta.
Six birdies in his last seven holes, including a sensational chip-in from 29 yards on 17, saw McIlroy post a 65 which leaves him 12-under-par for the tournament. His six-stroke halfway advantage – over American duo Scott Burns and Patrick Reed – is the best in the tournament's history.
McIlroy said the burden of expectation has eased since last year's victory, which completed the career Grand Slam, and the 36-year-old is playing with a freedom that had often eluded him in previous appearances at Augusta.
“I've built up a nice cushion at this point,” said the five-time major winner who is looking to become only the fourth man to win back-to-back green jackets. “I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.
“Don't protect it. Go out and play freely, keep swinging. A big part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 US Open was don't get protective. Go out there and keep playing, keep trying to make birdies, stay as trusting and as committed as possible.
“I've always loved the tournament and loved this golf course, even when I felt it didn't love me back. Now when I miss fairways it's fine, when I miss greens it's fine. I feel like I'm playing with the house's money.”
Overnight co-leader Burns birdied three of his last four holes and will be paired with McIlroy over the weekend.
Dubai Desert Classic champion Reed, who left the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit when his contract expired in January, kept the pressure on McIlroy in his round of three-under 69 but a missed putt leading to a bogey on the 18th cost him his place in the final pairing.
“The worst part and the thing that frustrated me most is I hit every golf shot how I wanted to,” Reed said. “On 18 you're having to get up and down, and then hit the putt where I wanted to and just doesn't go in. Things like that happen around here. In golf in general.”
Three-time runner-up Justin Rose, former Open champion Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood all carded 69s on Friday and sit on five-under par.
“Early on things were tough out there. But I settled down and built the round back up,” said Rose. “It's a continuation of being on the leaderboard from last year and keeping the dream alive. I need to keep it as free as I can.”
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who had not played competitively since mid-March, was never able to find his rhythm.
The American missed a short putt on the par-four fifth to card a second straight bogey. He missed an eagle putt on the par-five eighth, a hole the two-times Masters champion has feasted on in the past, and in the end mixed two birdies with four bogeys for a round of two-over to head into the weekend at even par.
“I felt like the greens would get firmer as the week went on, but I think they may have saw how difficult it was late in the day yesterday,” Scheffler said. “It felt like they softened them up a bit today, but I couldn't imagine them doing that the rest of the weekend.”
McIlroy will now look to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles – after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods – and the first since latter achieved the feat in 2002.
Among the notable players to miss the cut were Bryson DeChambeau, whose triple-bogey at the last cost him a place at the weekend, Cameron Smith and J.J. Spaun.
Spain's 2023 champion Rahm, 31, narrowly avoided the same fate thanks to a birdie on 16, which moved him to safety at four over.
The extremely difficult conditions predicted by many players after scores rose throughout Thursday's first round never materialised on Friday. The scoring average dropped nearly two shots, from 74.65 to 72.85. After only five players broke 70 in the first round, there were 20 scores in the 60s on Friday.
“There wasn't a ton of wind. It felt somewhat gettable,” Rose added. “I thought the pins were just a little easier than yesterday.”
