Rory McIlroy will go into the weekend a whopping ten photographs off the lead after one other day of ache within the Masters at an attritional Augusta Nationwide.
The world quantity two, who’s in search of to grow to be simply the sixth man to finish the profession Grand Slam, carded a five-over 77 as world primary Scottie Scheffler chiselled out a 72 in excessive winds to hitch Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau in a share of the lead on six-under..
The leaders have a two-shot cushion over Dane Nicolai Hojgaard and three photographs to spare over Australia’s Cameron Davis, Collin Morikawa and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, whose three-under 69 was the very best rating of a brutally onerous afternoon.
McIlroy started the day six photographs behind DeChambeau and 5 behind Scheffler after a hard-fought 71 on Thursday.
However he was on the again foot from the beginning on day two and whereas he parred his first 4 holes, he bogeyed the fifth and seventh to slide to one-over par.
Scheffler performed the entrance 9 in stage par to stay at six-under and confirmed his class by the early a part of Amen Nook to depart the Co Down man in his wake.
Whereas McIlroy hit a fantastic strategy to 9 ft on the tenth, Scheffler fired his second to 5 ft and made the putt after McIlroy’s missed.
After an extended delay on the eleventh tee, McIlroy discovered the fitting aspect of the green however with 194 yards to enter a tough wind, he got here up properly brief and left within the pond and ran up a double-bogey six to slide 10 photographs behind his massive rival.
Scheffler would hand a shot again with a go to to Rae’s Creek on the thirteenth. However McIlroy might make no extra in-roads and dropped one other shot when his delicate pitch on the 14th ran 20 ft from the opening.
The Holywood star dug deep and parred the final 4 holes, getting up and down brilliantly for par from sand on the seventeenth and from left of the inexperienced on the 18th after his tee shot hit a tree and went simply 202 yards, leaving him 234 yards for his second shot.
McIlroy can take coronary heart from the truth that he made a tough five-footer on the seventeenth and a 17-footer on the final.
However at tied thirty fifth, he’ll want a sensational weekend to catch Scheffler and Co.
With winds gusting as much as 39 mph, the 12-hour second day on the 88th Masters is worthy of the moniker.
The scoring common was 75.02, almost a shot tougher than spherical one however it proved no main drawback —on the scorecard at the least— for the boys on the high of the leaderboard.
Homa, whose lone high 10 in a Main got here when he tied for tenth at Royal Liverpool final yr, accomplished a five-under 67 within the morning alongside Tiger Woods, then posted a 71 to set the goal at six-under.
He was joined by in a single day chief DeChambeau, who shot 73 and insisted he can’t wait to check his recreation towards world primary Scottie Scheffler, who made it a three-way tie on the high along with his spectacular 72 within the late night.
Woods (48) was to not be overshadowed by taking part in associate Homa and whereas he dropped two photographs in his final 5 holes to open with a 73, he shot a marvellous 72 within the second spherical to make the lower on one-over and create extra Masters historical past.
The five-time champion set a brand new report for consecutive cuts made at 24, lastly overhauling 1992 winner Fred {Couples}.
“It means I’ve an opportunity going into the weekend,” stated the irrepressible Woods, who started the week by saying he was on the town to “get yet another” jacket. “I am right here. I’ve an opportunity to win the golf match. I do not know in the event that they’re all going to complete right this moment, however I am accomplished. I acquired my two rounds in. Simply want some meals and a few caffeine, and I will be good to go.”
He put his 72 all the way down to his brief recreation and huge expertise at Augusta.
“Loads of these chip photographs I used to be capable of get up-and-down as a result of I left it within the excellent spot, and that is understanding the best way to play this golf course,” Woods stated. As for Homa, he was impressed.
“Nicely, he is acquired all of the expertise on the planet,” he stated, earlier than including, “I noticed it up entrance; he does not actually mis-hit photographs. That is one thing you simply should do round this golf course.”
Shane Lowry is the very best of the Irish duo, tied for thirtieth on three-over after rounds of 73 and 74.
“It is an absolute battle,” Lowry stated. “Like (caddie) Darren (Reynolds) stated, in case you’re speaking in boxing phrases, strolling up 18, he stated, you’d assume it was spherical 12 right this moment, not spherical two. It was powerful.”
He added: “The wind is far and wide. I’ve by no means seen it like this. That was in all probability the hardest two days of golf that I’ve performed. I am going to sleep properly tonight.”
“You may be made to appear to be an fool on the market right this moment by not doing an excessive amount of mistaken.Look, I am not overly pleased with my two days’ work, however I am right here for the weekend, and I am going to give it a run.”
“You by no means know what is going on to occur. You see somebody shoot 7-under the primary day, you robotically assume it’ll be within the teenagers profitable, however not round right here. “So we’ll see what occurs over the following two days. Stranger issues have occurred round right here, and mad stuff has occurred.”
Defending champion Jon Rahm recovered from a double-bogey six on the 14th and birdied the fifteenth and sixteenth earlier than following a bogey on the seventeenth with an excellent closing par to shoot 76 and make the lower with a shot to spare on five-over.
