Rory McIlroy produced probably the most memorable Friday afternoons in Masters historical past to take an enormous step in the direction of claiming a second straight inexperienced jacket.
The profession grand slam winner leads by six photographs on the midway mark at Augusta Nationwide, the most important ever buffer after 36 holes.
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McIlroy’s stripe present undoubtedly captured the highlight, however there was lots extra speaking factors to emerge from the second spherical.
On the Australian entrance, Jason Day stays among the many chasing pack hoping to run down McIlroy throughout the weekend.
Whereas countryman Min Woo Lee and Cameron Smith collapsed to overlook the lower for a second straight 12 months and lift main issues about their video games.
They weren’t the one massive names to not crack the highest 50.
Bryson DeChambeau spectacularly made a triple bogey on the final to fall outdoors the lower line, however the carnage golf followers was promised was stored to a minimal.
After gamers predicted chaos because the greens grew to become firmer and quicker in heat, dry climate, event organisers determined to go in a distinct path.
That selection raised eyebrows as did world No.1 Scottie Scheffler’s day.
He’s not out of the event, however made some very uncharacteristic blunders within the second spherical.
Scroll down for the most important speaking factors from the second spherical of the 2026 Masters!
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McIlroy on fireplace as Day stays in hunt | 02:09
DOES RORY HAVE IT IN THE BAG?
Fred {Couples} joked that Rory McIlroy would possibly “by no means lose this factor once more” after shaking the monkey from his again final 12 months.
1992 champion {Couples} doubled down on that declare after the second spherical, and even proclaimed that McIlroy might win 5 of those.
If he retains enjoying anyplace close to the extent he has displayed within the first two rounds, {Couples} is perhaps proper.
The defending champion delivered probably the most gorgeous finishes in main golf historical past, making birdies on six of Friday’s final seven holes to grab a file six-shot lead after 36 holes.
Now, the problem for McIlroy is to carry on.
A 12 months in the past, that may have been a far greater problem than it’s now.
McIlroy banished his Augusta demons by lastly claiming a inexperienced jacket 12 months in the past and changing into the sixth man to ever win the profession grand slam.
The heartbreaks of 12 months’s previous are nonetheless behind the Northern Irishman’s thoughts.
Put up-round, he careworn the necessity to keep affected person throughout the weekend.
Saying that he is aware of higher than anybody that issues can go pear-shaped rapidly at Augusta Nationwide.
McIlroy shared earlier than the spherical that the nice Jack Nicklaus provided him the easy recommendation of “don’t make f***ing double bogeys”.
McIlroy set a file final 12 months by changing into the primary participant to make 4 double bogeys for the event and nonetheless win the inexperienced jacket.
He continues to defy the percentages across the well-known structure.
The 36-year-old famend as one of many longest bombers within the sport has someway missed each fairway on the par 5s throughout the opening two rounds, however performed these eight holes in seven-under par.
Victory final 12 months gave McIlroy a brand new lease on life and the faults will not be impacting as a lot as they’ve prior to now.
He mentioned post-round that it really feel he’s now enjoying with “the home’s cash” due to his new discovered sense of freedom.
“I’ve at all times liked this event, I’ve at all times liked this golf course, even after I felt prefer it didn’t love me again,” McIlroy instructed Sky Sports activities.
“It’s such a pleasure to be right here. It’s a singular event, there’s nothing else like this that we play. And I so desperately wished to win right here simply so I might come again every 12 months, and fortunately I used to be ready to try this final 12 months.
“So, doing that, after I miss fairways, it’s tremendous. After I miss greens, it’s tremendous. I really feel like I’m form of enjoying with the home’s cash, which is a pleasant feeling to have.”
The depth and scrutiny will little doubt dial up within the coming days.
McIlroy has made clear in recent times that his curiosity within the week-to-week grind of the PGA Tour has waned.
He’s as an alternative all-in on the sport’s greatest occasions.
After engaging in his aim of being a part of a European crew that gained the Ryder Cup in the US final September, McIlroy had been comparatively quiet.
He didn’t play for 3 weeks main into his Augusta return.
The Gamers Championship was his final outing as McIlroy battled a again niggle that compelled him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational final month.
However he additionally admitted in his press convention that he doesn’t love the three occasions that lead-in to the Masters.
Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley’s previous feedback about McIlroy have by no means rung extra true, acclaimed golf journalist Alan Shipnuck identified on social media.
“When his coronary heart is engaged in one thing, and it actually means one thing to him, he usually delivers,” the Irishman mentioned.
“After which he goes into these flat durations in his profession—he’s had a number of them. It’s an Irish factor to be melancholy, and he goes into these durations of melancholy, but it surely’s not that he’s not caring—it’s virtually like he’s in a slumber.
“After which, unexpectedly, he ignites.
“And when that coronary heart goes on fireplace, that’s when he comes out and does one thing that amazes us.
“If he has that quiet look of dedication mixed with that joyfulness of chasing a aim, that’s when the magic occurs.”
CAN DAY WIN THIS?
He primarily must depend on a spectacular Rory McIlroy collapse, however Jason Day firmly believes he’s proper within the inexperienced jacket hunt.
The Australian stumbled on the last gap of his second spherical, making bogey to fall again to 4-under par.
The previous world No.1 is eight photographs again from McIlroy, however having come so shut prior to now, Day is aware of wild issues can occur within the last 36 holes at Augusta Nationwide.
Day completed tied for eighth final 12 months and can be a former runner-up, whereas he was within the hunt till the top when compatriot Adam Scott broke the nation’s drought in 2013.
He is aware of this course higher than most and crucially is nicely versed in limiting errors.
Day has made three bogeys throughout the opening two rounds, solely Patrick Reed (-6) has made much less thus far.
The Queenslander additionally went 35 holes with out dropping a shot final 12 months.
He is aware of his consistency can repay.
“I believe if I can simply hold myself inside arm’s size of the lead simply by no means know what occurs out right here at Augusta, particularly on the weekend,” Day mentioned earlier than McIlroy went on his late tear.
“However extra so on Sunday. Issues can occur and switch fairly fast on a dime simply with how scorable among the holes could be, and clearly with the dramatic end we have now sometimes.
“I’m simply going to go underneath the radar and do my factor. I felt prefer it’s been a fairly good formulation thus far over the previous couple of days, what I’ve achieved.”
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WHAT HAPPENED TO SMITH AND LEE?
Much more regarding for Australians are the plights of Min Woo Lee and Cameron Smith.
For the second straight 12 months, they each missed the lower.
Lee’s rounds of 78 and 77 got here utterly of the blue.
The highest-ranked Australian at No.25 on the planet completed in a share of third every week in the past on the Houston Open – an occasion he gained the 12 months prior.
Plus, he was additionally runner-up at Pebble Seashore and boasted one other high ten on the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The 27-year-old was in among the greatest type of his profession, having risen 22 locations on the planet rankings for the reason that begin of the 12 months.
Along with his sport seemingly in good order, Lee couldn’t fairly put his finger on the place all of it went incorrect at Augusta.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I imply, the preparation was unbelievable. You’d suppose I might be profitable the event the best way I used to be main as much as the occasion,” he mentioned.
“It’s not like I used to be nervous or something. I simply stored hitting the identical shot which was bizarre.
“Yeah, it’s … very disappointing. I assumed I had nice preparation and good momentum coming into this event. Had lots of people supporting me to play nicely. Yeah, somewhat bummed that I couldn’t get something going.”
Smith, then again, was somewhat extra predictable as he endures the worst stretch of his profession.
The 2022 Open champion has now missed the lower in his final six majors.
He was the one participant to fail to achieve the weekend in all 4 majors in 2025.
With the clock ticking on his five-year exemption from that St Andrews triumph, alarm bells are ringing for the LIV Golf star.
He appeared to have turned the nook regardless of heartbreak on the last gap of December’s Australian Open.
Smith’s three-putt bogey on the final at Royal Melbourne handed the nationwide crown to Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who additionally missed the lower at Augusta having earned his place within the subject with that win.
However he was back-to-back his greatest regardless of that blunder.
There’s nonetheless one thing lacking from his sport, nevertheless.
Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley put it bluntly when discussing Smith’s struggles.
“It’s a disgrace. He promised a lot when he gained at TPC (Sawgrass in The Gamers in 2022) in addition to The Open Championship,” he mentioned on Dwell From The Masters.
“However, , he’s not now an element at these majors.”
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CARNAGE?
After the primary spherical Shane Lowry mentioned this is perhaps probably the most tough Masters in latest reminiscence.
Jason Day shared his perception that the profitable quantity would probably be in single digits.
With a transparent climate forecast and temperatures within the mid to excessive 20s, a agency and quick Augusta Nationwide was purported to trigger carnage.
Whereas, after all, the well-known venue remains to be extremely tough for the world’s greatest to navigate, it might have been torturous.
However event organisers blinked.
Sky Sports activities captured greenkeepers with their hoses out on Friday morning.
The rock arduous greens have been arduous to hit within the opening spherical as balls bounced and rocketed ahead.
No disrespect to Tyrell Hatton, however after battling Melbourne Sandbelt-like circumstances, nobody within the subject would have anticipated somebody to hit all 18 greens in regulation within the second spherical.
Masters debutant Andrew Novak was the primary participant to voice their shock on the change-up post-round.
“I three-putted 4 instances early as a result of I wasn’t ready in any respect for the way gradual the greens have been,” Novak mentioned following his second spherical 76.
“Simply on the placing inexperienced and stuff they have been nonetheless rolling quick. I didn’t realise how a lot slower they have been going to be this morning.”
When requested if he thought the greens had been watered, Novak merely replied: “Yeah”.
Paul McGinley mentioned on Dwell from The Masters that he was shocked to see gamers within the morning teams making pitch marks on the greens.
Whereas world No.1 Scottie Scheffler admitted he was caught off guard by the choice to melt the placing surfaces.
“I used to be shocked on the greens,” Scheffler mentioned. “I believe they might have noticed how tough it was late within the day yesterday. It felt like they softened them up a bit, however I couldn’t think about them doing that the remainder of the weekend.”
Different gamers who missed the lower, and lots of of those that did scrap their approach into the weekend, would probably say that they wanted to be thrown a bone to battle the difficult circumstances.
However there was a transparent pleasure amongst golf followers to witness a uncommon sort of Masters.
Scoring by no means will get out of hand at Augusta Nationwide like it may at a mean PGA Tour or LIV occasion, however seeing the winner rating be in single figures for the primary time in virtually decade was an appetising thought to many golf followers.
That also is perhaps the case if the hoses keep within the shed and issues get harder on the weekend.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SCOTTIE?
Scottie Scheffler sank down the leaderboard, twice splashing into the water on a tough day, however insisted he performed significantly better than his rating advised.
The four-time main champion, looking for his third Masters crown in 5 seasons, struggled to a two-over par 74 in Friday’s second spherical.
It was his second-worst rating in 26 rounds at Augusta Nationwide, leaving him even par on the event’s halfway level.
“Was actually difficult. I performed actually fairly nicely. I felt like I performed so much higher than my rating,” Scheffler mentioned.
“Simply the little issues that I felt like I used to be near having a extremely good spherical. Only a few issues right here or there, just a few breaks that didn’t go my approach. Yeah, the margins are small.” Scheffler’s spherical snapped the third-longest streak in Masters historical past of rounds at par or beneath at 11, his run eclipsed solely by the file 16 of Tiger Woods and 15 by Jon Rahm.
Scheffler stumbled early with bogeys on the par-three fourth and par-four fifth holes however responded with birdies on the par-five eighth and par-four tenth.
The massive heartbreak got here with bogeys on the par-five thirteenth and fifteenth holes. Scheffler plunked his second shot at 13 into Rae’s Creek and located water once more at 15.
“I bought off to a gradual begin. Just a few up and downs early that I ought to have had that I didn’t convert. Then I fought again to get it to even,” Scheffler mentioned.
“After which the green on 13, in all probability my solely shot I might relatively be capable to hit once more. Possibly a distinct resolution there. That’s a tricky shot, however I felt like I might make one thing occur to that pin.”
His 3-iron missed badly.
“I simply didn’t draw it sufficient,” Scheffler mentioned. “I simply tried to swing it with the slope and simply didn’t catch it that strong and form of hung on the market.
“It was irritating to get it again to even, have a few par-fives in entrance of me, after which not do many issues I felt incorrect and wasn’t capable of convert actually mainly something coming down the stretch.”
Scheffler additionally struggled on the greens.
“I wish to gap just a few extra putts. I felt prefer it was rolling good however balls simply weren’t dropping,” he mentioned.
“Possibly my reads have been somewhat bit off. I felt like I used to be beginning on line, might have been pace on a few putts, however total I felt like I positively performed higher than my rating.”