AUGUSTA, Ga.–The only thing that stopped Rory McIlroy We were running out of spots to play Friday at the Masters.
McIlroy tied on the 12th tee patrick reed And that, along with a dozen other players, was shaping up to be a compelling race for the green jacket.
Six birdies on his final seven holes for a 7-under 65 had everyone wondering if he was playing for second place. McIlroy’s fourth consecutive birdie capped off the best round of the week, giving him a six-shot advantage, setting a Masters record for the largest 36-hole lead.
“When I stood on the 12th tee, I knew I had some chances, but I didn’t think I would birdie six of the last seven,” he said. “It shows what you can do here.”
He did it in brilliant style. McIlroy twice made birdie on the par 5 after laying up from the trees. He twice hit short putts on the par 3s. And if all that wasn’t enough, he jumped 30 yards down a slope so steep that he couldn’t even see the hole.
The final hour of a fascinating day started to feel like a victory lap for McIlroy, who spent 17 years trying to win the Masters and now looks like he can’t wait to do it again.
His tee shot over Rae Creek on the dangerous 12th hole landed 7 feet short of the flag. After coming down from the trees, he birdied both par 5s. He took advantage of the low pin on the par-3 16th for a tap-in birdie.
And then he really sent the gallery into frenzy when he hit a four from 30 yards on the 17th. McIlroy knew it was good because “I could see everybody in the grandstand starting to stand up.”
And there was still one more to do – another perfect approach that landed 6 feet down the slope for one last birdie.
This takes his score to 12-under 132, six shots ahead of Reed (69) Sam Burns (71). The previous record for the largest 36-hole lead at Augusta National was five shots, shared by six players: Scotty Scheffler (2022), Jordan Spieth (2015), Raymond Floyd (1976), jack nicklaus (1975), herman kaiser (1946) and Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper (1936).
Everyone except Cooper won.
McIlroy is also tied for the third-largest 36-hole lead in major championship history, trailing Henry Cotton’s nine-shot lead at The Open in 1934. brooks koepkaA seven-shot lead at the PGA Championship in 2019, according to ESPN Research.
If McIlroy persists, he will become just the fourth player to win two consecutive Masters titles. jack nicklaus, nick faldo And Tiger Woods.
In 2011 he had a two-shot lead after 36 holes and extended this to four shots going into the final round, before becoming famous with a score of 80. This was the beginning of his Masters misery that lasted until a year ago, when he won in a playoff at Augusta National.
Maybe he should start thinking about next year’s menu for the Masters Club dinner.
“I know what can happen here, good and bad,” McIlroy said with a smile. “You don’t need to remind me not to get ahead of myself. There’s still a long way to go. I’ve made a wonderful start.”
Augusta allowed this. It was warmer, brighter, drier. The wind was not that strong and the gusts were also not that strong. And there was somewhat better scoring due to more generous pin positions, including 16 and 18, where clean shots could lead to the hole.
The score was about two shots lower than Thursday.
It didn’t help everyone, at least not at all. Bryson DeChambeau. He bounced back from an opening 76 and was one shot below the cut line when it took him two shots to miss a greenside bunker on the 18th, the second rolling off the false front back toward the fairway. He made triple bogey and missed the cut.
Reed was bogey-free until failing to save par on the final hole. Due to this, he also lost his place in the final group along with McIlroy on Saturday. They were paired together in the final group in 2018, with the odds seemingly all in favor of Augusta McIlroy, only for Reed to win easily.
Burns birdied his last two holes for a 71 and will be tied with McIlroy.
justin roseThe player who lost a playoff to McIlroy a year ago had a bad day with the putter and still shot 69 to join the group at 5-under 139 – now seven shots behind – with shane lowry (69) and tommy fleetwoodWho had two eagles in his round of 68.
McIlroy took three weeks off heading into the Masters and felt it would benefit him, even if no one since adam scott Won the Masters in 2013 after such a long break.
He’s made a lot of trips to Augusta, sometimes taking day trips to go home for dinner, and has spent most of his time working on his short game, which has been fantastic.
“I felt like I was part of the furniture,” McIlroy said of all his visits to the course.
He also had a six-shot lead at Congressional at the 2011 US Open, a major after blowing his big lead at the Masters, and he won by eight. That week she learned to move forward rather than defend, the same approach she planned for the weekend.
“Look, I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point,” McIlroy said. “I think my mentality is just to play well and try to keep my foot on the gas.”
Scheffler, the world No. 1 who has won two of the last four Masters, is 12 shots behind. Scheffler entered the water twice on the par 5 back nine, bogeyed both and shot an under-par 74 in his first round at the Masters in three years.
What appeared to be players in the B-flight were all gone before McIlroy’s astonishing birdies began. cameron young And U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell had a front-row seat to McIlroy’s complete command at the Masters.
“You’ve got to stay in your own lane, but it’s hard not to see him,” Howell said after missing the cut. “That chip-in on 17 was unreal. That was one of the best things I’ve seen in sports, and I got a chance to see it in person. So that was amazing.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
