Rory McIlroy charged back into Grand Slam contention after a stunning bogey-free second round lifted him within two strokes of halfway leader Justin Rose at The Masters.
McIlroy, searching for a first major title since 2014 and needing victory at Augusta National to become just the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam, bounced back from a frustrating finish to his opening day to fire a six-under 66 on Friday morning.
The world No 2 carded a stunning eagle at the par-five 13th alongside four birdies to post the lowest round of the day, lifting him to six under, as Rose held onto top spot after mixing four birdies with three bogeys in a second-round 71.
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Highlights of Justin Rose’s second round at The Masters, where a second-round 71 secured the Englishman the halfway lead
Rose holds a one-shot advantage over US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who birdied four of his opening eight holes on his way to a four-under 68, while McIlroy sits a further shot back in third alongside Canada’s Corey Conners.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler heads into the weekend three strokes off the pace as he seeks to become the first back-to-back winner of The Masters since Tiger Woods, with Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt McCarty also in tied-fifth.
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How McIlroy stayed in the hunt for Grand Slam glory
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Sky Sports’ Paul McGinley hails Rory McIlroy’s ability to bounce back in the second round of The Masters and the influence on his game of coaches Brad Faxon and Bob Rotella.
Only one of the last 19 Masters champions have been more than four strokes of the lead after the opening day, leaving McIlroy facing an uphill battle resuming seven back, although the Northern Irishman made a strong start with a birdie at the par-five second.
McIlroy produced an impressive par save from the back of the fourth green and patiently reached the turn in 35, before sparking his charge up the leaderboard with stunning approach shots to set up back-to-back birdies from the 10th.
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Rory McIlroy spoke about the psychology of overcoming a disappointing end to his first round and getting back into Masters contention
The four-time major champion secured an unlikely par at the 12th after seeing his ball kick out of the bushes, before an aggressive approach from the pine straw at the par-five next was rewarded with a 10-foot eagle.
McIlroy played the par-five 15th some three shots better than the previous day, two-putting from long range for birdie after finding the green in two, then closed out a blemish-free card with three pars to remain at six under.
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Rory McIlroy made eagle at the par-five 13th hole to move to five under for his second round
The 35-year-old will go out in the penultimate group on Saturday alongside Conners, who posted a second-round 70, while Rose holds the solo halfway lead for the third time in his Masters career as he chases a first major win since the 2013 US Open.
Rose briefly extended his overnight lead to four shots after taking advantage of the par-five second and birdied both par-threes on the second nine, with the Englishman on nine under until a penultimate-hole bogey.
DeChambeau threatened a late charge for the lead after racing to the turn in 32, only to fail to find a birdie on the second nine and bogey the par-three 16th, while Hatton was also within one of the lead until back-to-back bogeys from the 15th.
Hatton shares fifth spot with Scheffler, who stuttered to a final-hole 71 after a closing bogey, with McCarty also on five under after bouncing back from dropping three shots in his first two holes to post a four-under 68.
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Tyrrell Hatton missed a short putt at the par-four 17th hole at Augusta to leave the Sky Sports commentary team stunned into silence!
Lowry mixed five birdies with a lone bogey to complete the group on five under, with Rasmus Hojgaard and Viktor Hovland sharing ninth place with Jason Day.
A star-studded leaderboard has 21 players within six strokes of the halfway lead, with Xander Schuaffele among those after a three-under 69.
Rose holds narrow lead on stacked leaderboard
Justin Rose: “It’s about knowing where to go after it and knowing where to be patient. I think I did a good job of that today. You can overthink things at times too, so that’s something to think about over the weekend.
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“But all in all, I think it was a really good day. The two [bogey] fives on the back nine are the only things I’m slightly frustrated about.”
Rory McIlroy: “I am proud of myself with how I responded after the finish last night. I wasn’t going to let two bad holes dictate the narrative for the rest of the week. I feel like I did a good job of resetting.
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Tyrrell Hatton missed a short putt at the par-four 17th hole at Augusta to leave the Sky Sports commentary team stunned into silence!
“I had a good conversation with Bob Rotella (sports psychologist) about not pushing too hard, too early. I just tried to stay really patient and that was rewarded.
“I don’t think I proved anything, if anything I just backed up the belief I have in myself and the belief that I’m as resilient as anyone else out here.”
Scottie Scheffler: “The winds were up this afternoon, which made it pretty challenging. I also wasn’t getting the ball in play as much, probably wasn’t as sharp as yesterday, but to get in one under was pretty good.
“Conditions were really tough. I didn’t have my A-game but I stayed in the tournament.”
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Defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot a one-under-par 71 in his second round at The Masters after enduring an eventful day at Augusta
When is The Masters live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will be showing record hours of live coverage from the 2025 contest, including more action over the final two rounds than previous years. A new addition to this year’s coverage sees a Masters build-up show live from 3pm over the weekend ahead of full coverage starting at 5pm.
Sky Sports+ on Sky Q and Sky Glass will provide plenty of bonus feeds and allow you to follow players’ progress through various parts of Augusta’s famous layout, including Amen Corner and more.
Who will win The Masters? Watch throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
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