Rory McIlroy’s Impressive Masters Performance

Rory McIlroy finally clinched his first green jacket last year after 17 attempts, and he’s already on track for a second title at the Masters. At 36, he shot an impressive record-low score of 65 on Friday, positioning himself at 12 under par and leading by six strokes—this is actually the largest second-round lead in Masters history.

With this achievement, McIlroy becomes the fourth defending champion to hold a 36-hole lead after winning previously. Arnold Palmer was the only one to do it three times (in 1959, 1961, and 1965), while Ian Woosnam and Jordan Spieth each accomplished it once.

He’s now aiming to join a distinctive group of players who have won the Masters in consecutive years, including legends like Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.

During the second round, McIlroy excelled by making birdies on six of the last seven holes, totaling an impressive 15 birdies across the tournament—he also maintained 18 holes for par and only recorded three bogeys.

McIlroy expressed confidence, saying he intends to maintain his strong performance. “I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point. I think my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keep my foot on the gas,” he remarked.

Currently, Sam Burns and Patrick Reed are tied for second at 6 under par, while Justin Rose, who faced McIlroy in a memorable playoff last year, is tied for fourth at 5 under. Shane Rowley and Tommy Fleetwood are also in the mix with scores of 5 under.

Looking ahead, McIlroy will tee off in the final group alongside Burns at 2:50 p.m. ET on Saturday. To clear his mind ahead of the game, he plans to watch tennis, mentioning some exciting semi-finals happening in Monte Carlo that he’s looking forward to. “We’ve been watching tennis since early morning,” he added casually.