Rory McIlroy took a huge step closer to defending his sensational Masters title after taking a historic six-shot lead at Augusta National over the weekend.
A year after completing his career Grand Slam with a playoff victory over Justin Rose, McIlroy continued his quest for even greater success with an impressive round of 65 on Friday afternoon.
McIlroy beat the defending champion’s lowest 36-hole score and extended his lead to 12 under par, the largest halftime lead in tournament history, making him the firm favorite to join Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as back-to-back Masters champions.
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Rory McIlroy made three birdies in a row at the start of the second round to lead the pack by three spots.
The defending champion birdied six of the final seven holes to fend off Sam Burns and former Masters winner Patrick Reed, while Rose and Shane Lowry carded a second-round 69 to share fourth place with fellow Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood.
“You can ride the run on this course,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “Obviously I never expected to get birdies in six of the last seven, but I always feel like when you’re feeling birdie around here you can get some momentum and the crowd is on your side and you can just keep going. This afternoon was one of those afternoons.”
Tyrrell Hatton moved into a tie for seventh place with a 6-under 66, but Bryson DeChambeau, who played in last year’s final group and was considered the pre-tournament favorite to win, missed out on a triple bogey on the final hole with a 2-over 74.
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Bryson DeChambeau missed the tournament after hitting a triple bogey on the 18th hole in the second round of the Masters.
How McIlroy made more history at the Masters
McIlroy held an overnight lead at the Masters after the defending champion tied it up in the second-from-bottom round. McIlroy, ranked second in the world, immediately took control of the tournament with three consecutive birdies starting from the second hole.
The defending champion gave hope to the chasing pack when he missed from 6 feet on the fifth to save par, failed to capitalize on the eighth, the only par-5 he missed a birdie on this week, and started with a bogey on the second and ninth.
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Rory McIlroy bogeyed the fifth and 10th holes at Augusta National, dropping two strokes and losing the sole lead.
McIlroy briefly tied for the lead with a birdie on the par-3 12th to pull away at a first-nine 34, but the Northern Irishman regained the solo advantage and sparked another birdie charge with a seven-foot birdie on the same iconic hole.
Just like on the first day, McIlroy made good use of the par-5 13th and 15th, and on the par-3 16th, McIlroy hit a great tee shot into kick-in range to pull away from the pack by four spots.
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Rory McIlroy birdied both the 12th and 13th holes and began his dramatic scoring near the second nine.
Reed hit a bogey at the last to fall back to 6 under with Burns, and Burns had three birdies in the remaining five holes to finish with a 1-under 71, and Fleetwood maintained that score until he closed out with a bogey at 3-under 68.
McIlroy recovered from a drive error on the 17th and finished short of the green. There, he extended his lead with a sensational 30-yard chip-in, then finished with an 8-foot birdie to end a memorable Friday in style.
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Rory McIlroy holes out on the 17th hole in the second round of the Masters, extending his lead
The lead matched the same half-advantage McIlroy held at the 2011 U.S. Open, which he won for his first major title. Any player in this century who had a buffer of six strokes or more over 36 holes would win.
“I really wanted to win here to come back every year and thankfully I was able to do that last year,” McIlroy added. “That way, if you miss the fairway, you’re OK. If you miss the green, you’re OK. It feels like you’re playing with the house’s money, and that feels great.”
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Rory McIlroy claimed he felt like he was “playing with house money” after shooting a second-round 65 at Augusta National
“If I can continue to think and make the right decisions with what’s in front of me, if I can really continue to put one foot in front of the other, and hopefully do that over the weekend, everything will be fine.”
Of the 54 players who made it through the weekend, only 19 were under par at the halfway stage, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at level par after shooting a 2-over 74 and 12 players off the pace.
Will McIlroy be able to defend his title at the Masters? Watch this year’s opening major match live exclusively on Sky Sports. Live coverage will continue on Saturday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf, with additional coverage on Sky Sports+. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
