The Masters leaderboard is stacked as the top-10 players in the world are within six shots of Justin Rose at Augusta National. That means the dream of a Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler winning three green jackets before turning 29 is very much alive.
Overnight rain softened the conditions at Augusta National for Round 2 on Friday, and the players took advantage of a course that yielded low scores all around. Overnight leader Justin Rose had to work for his 1-under 71, but he managed to hold on to the top spot.
McIlroy, seeking to complete a career Grand Slam at the Masters, flipped the script on Thursday’s second-nine meltdown by firing a second-round 6-under 66. The defending champion made six birdies and had one of the best iron shots in the tournament on No. 13, a 4-iron from the pine straw that wasn’t meant to go straight at the flag but did and barely found the green.
He is tied with Corey Conners in third at 6 under, while U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is one back after posting a second-round 4-under 68. The two-time Masters winner is in contention after battling a rib injury, and his bid to win a third green jacket before turning 29 has the look of a major classic.
There are plenty of other names to watch for, too, including Viktor Hovland and Jason Day at four under through 15 holes. Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Reed are in the group at five under. All three are former Masters champions, and Matsuyama and Reed have both won majors this year. If no player wins the Masters after 72 holes, a sudden-death playoff begins on the 18th hole and then moves to the 10th if needed.