Rory McIlroy holds record-equalling lead at Masters as Aussies struggle at Augusta

Rory McIlroy looked every bit like someone who had done this before as he delivered a dynamic finish to his second round at The Masters.

The defending champion made six birdies over the last seven holes and signed for a 7-under 65 for a six-shot lead that set a Masters record through 36 holes.

The final hour of a fascinating day started to look like a victory lap.

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McIlroy, who made three straight birdies early in his round, found himself locked in a duel with old nemesis Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion who birdied the par-3 12th to tie for the lead. McIlroy was coming off a few loose swings when he reached the heart of Amen Corner.

"Standing on the 12th tee, I didn't imagine being six shots ahead," McIlroy said.

Before long, he was all alone.

His tee shot over Rae's Creek on the dangerous 12th hole landed about 2m past the flag. He birdied both par 5s having been forced to lay up from the trees on each. He took advantage of the lower pin at the par-3 16th for what amounted to a tap-in birdie.

But the gallery was really sent into a frenzy when he chipped in from well off the green on the 17th. McIlroy couldn't see the hole over the crest of the hill on the green, but he knew it was good because "I could see everyone in the grandstand start to stand up."

"That's a bonus," he said.

And there was one more to go — another perfect approach that came down the slope on the 18th for one last birdie.

That put him at 12-under, six shots clear of Reed and Sam Burns. The previous record for the largest 36-hole lead at Augusta National was five shots by six players, most recently Scottie Scheffler in 2022. The first was Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper in 1936, the only player in that position who did not win the Masters.

If McIlroy holds on, he would become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.

He had a two-shot lead after 36 holes in 2011 and stretched it to four shots going into the final round before he famously imploded with an 80. That was the start of his Masters heartache that lasted until a year ago, when he triumphed in a playoff to finally prove he could win at Augusta National.

The Masters 2026 second round leaderboard

"I know what can happen around here, good and bad," McIlroy said with a smile. "You don't have to remind me not to get ahead of myself. There's a long way to go. I got off to an amazing start."

The weather at Augusta during the second round was glorious. It was warmer, brighter, drier. The wind wasn't quite as strong and the gusts didn't swirl as much. Generous pin placements meant scoring was much lower, including on 16 and 18, where cleanly struck shots could feed toward the hole. The field averaged nearly two shots better in the second round than the first.

For Bryson DeChambeau a second bunker nightmare in as many days meant he didn't make the cut. He was a shot below the cut line standing on the 18th tee, and the nightmare began when his approach shot found the sand next to the green. It took him two shots to get out, and when he did, he watched helplessly as the ball rolled right off the front of the green and back onto the fairway. He chipped on and two-putted for a triple bogey, and missed the cut.

Patrick Reed was bogey-free until he failed to save par on the final hole. That also cost him a spot in the final group Saturday with McIlroy. They were paired together in the last group in 2018, with seemingly all of Augusta on McIlroy's side, only for Reed to win handily.

Burns birdied his last two holes to salvage a 71 and will be paired with McIlroy.

Justin Rose, the playoff loser to McIlroy a year ago, had a rough day with the putter and still shot 69 to be part of the group at 5-under 139 — now seven shots behind — along with Shane Lowry (69) and Tommy Fleetwood, who had two eagles in his round of 68.

As for the Aussies, only Jason Day had a good round. He was in among the leaders before McIlroy's hot streak. He made three birdies, but also two bogeys on 11 and 18, where he had to chip out from the pine straw with his second shot. He's at four-under for the tournament, eight behind McIlroy.

Adam Scott started the day at even-par, but immediately put himself on the back foot with bogey on the first. Birdies at the sixth and eighth sandwiched a second bogey on seven, and he made the turn even.

He went birdie-bogey on 15 and 16, before a wayward tee shot on 18 led to a penalty and a double bogey. He's two-over for the tournament.

The nightmare Thursday's suffered by Min Woo Lee and Cameron Smith extended into Friday and both missed the cut.

The Masters 2026 Third Round tee times