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‘Astounding’ McIlroy birdies six of last seven to hold record Masters lead
Defending champion Rory McIlroy has stated his intention to maintain his aggressive strategy after establishing a record six-shot lead at the Masters, courtesy of a second-round 65.
McIlroy, who began the day sharing the lead with Sam Burns, quickly asserted his dominance with a hat-trick of birdies from the second hole, opening up a three-shot advantage. However, bogeys at the fifth and 10th offered a glimmer of hope to the chasing pack.
The Northern Irishman, ranked number two in the world, then surged ahead with a remarkable performance on Augusta National’s closing stretch. Birdies on six of his final seven holes, including a sensational chip-in on the 17th, propelled him to 12 under par.
This impressive seven under par round gave him a commanding lead over Americans Burns and Patrick Reed, while Ryder Cup teammates Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, and Shane Lowry trail by a further shot.
“I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point. I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas,” said the 36-year-old, who will tee off alongside Burns in the final pairing at 19:50 BST on Saturday.
“There are so many different ways to skin a cat. I’ve shot 12 under par for the first two rounds here. I’ve played well, I’ve hit good shots, but it hasn’t all been amazing.
“I’ve relied on my short game when I’ve needed it, and I’ve certainly hit enough good wedges into those par fives to build the score that I have.”
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McIlroy, aiming to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only players to win consecutive Masters titles, has previously held a six-shot lead in a major championship.
He went on to secure an eight-shot victory at the 2011 US Open, marking his first of five major titles, and replicated this dominant performance with another eight-shot win at the 2012 US PGA Championship.
As he seeks to match Faldo, Phil Mickelson, and Lee Trevino’s tally of six majors, McIlroy plans to maintain an aggressive approach around Augusta National throughout the weekend.
“Don’t protect it. Go out and play freely, keep swinging,” he advised, reflecting on what his 2011 self would have benefited from knowing before Saturday’s round.
Notably, McIlroy held a four-shot lead going into the final round of the 2011 Masters, but a disappointing eight-over-par 80 caused him to fall down the leaderboard.
“A big part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 US Open was don’t get protective,” he added. “Go out there and keep playing, keep trying to make birdies, stay as trusting and as committed as possible.”
McIlroy also shared his plans to watch tennis and spend quality time with his daughter, Poppy, as a means of distraction before the third round.
“That distraction is usually a good thing for me, especially with a late tee time and the lead,” he explained.
“There are two really good semi-finals at Monte Carlo in the tennis. So I’ll watch those.
“We’ve been watching the tennis early in the mornings. And then hopefully spend some time with Poppy. I think we’re about halfway through Zootopia 2.”
McIlroy attributed his strong start to the tournament to the extensive practice he undertook on the course during the three weeks he took off from PGA Tour events following the Players Championship in March.
“I just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” said McIlroy, who maintains a residence in Florida, nearby to Augusta.
“I’d rather come here. I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with Poppy and [wife] Erica.
“I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. It wasn’t really about conserving energy, but just I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better.
“I’ve been on this golf course so much the past three weeks. That has been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out. I think just spending so much time up here has been a big part of it.”
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McIlroy speaks to BBC Sport NI’s Stephen Watson after breaking record
With no rain anticipated over the weekend, the notoriously undulating greens of Augusta are expected to become progressively firmer as the tournament progresses.
Bearing this in mind, McIlroy – who missed six fairways and five greens on Friday – is acutely aware of the challenge ahead, particularly in light of his previous experiences at the Masters.
“There’s still a lot of work to do,” he emphasized to BBC NI.
“I’ve put myself in the best position possible going into the weekend but I know more than probably anyone else what this golf course can do to you.
“I need to keep my wits about me and play the weekend like I played the past two days.”
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