AUGUSTA, Georgia — After a day that was full of shuffles on The Masters leaderboard, the field is beginning to sort itself out for Sunday’s final round. Overnight rain softened Augusta National Golf Club for the second round, but the course’s difficult elements remained present. Justin Rose maintained his overnight lead with a 1-under 71, but the world’s best players are right on his heels.
Rory McIlroy flipped the script from Thursday’s second-nine meltdown and fired an impressive 6-under 66 to make a huge move up the leaderboard. The Northern Irishman is chasing a career grand slam, but he’ll have to get through a few big-name contenders before he can claim that elusive green jacket.
McIlroy will tee off in the last group on Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau, the 2024 U.S. Open champion who edged McIlroy in a playoff at Pinehurst. He’ll also be paired with one-time major winner Jason Day, who will look to add another green jacket to his collection.
Scottie Scheffler is in a tie for fifth at 5-under with Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Matt McCarty, who’s on a Masters run that could culminate in a record third green jacket.
The top 50 players, plus ties, advance to the final two rounds of The Masters. Currently, the cut line at Augusta is 2 over. Masters winners are awarded a green jacket, which must be returned to the clubhouse within a year of the victory. It’s stored in a special cloakroom with past winners, including Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.