Justin Rose set the early clubhouse target on day two of the 89th Masters as Rory McIlroy spectacularly reignited his own bid to win a green jacket and complete the career grand slam.
Rose added a second round of 71 to his opening 65 for a halfway total of eight under par, three shots clear of American Matt McCarty, who dropped three shots in the first two holes but then carded eight birdies in an adventurous 68.
McIlroy was also five under par with four holes of his round to play thanks to birdies on the second, 10th and 11th and an eagle on the par-five 13th.
Outrageous, Rory!! 🤯#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/2d9KUCnA4u
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 11, 2025
Rose began the second round with a three-shot lead and quickly extended his advantage with a birdie on the par-five second after getting up and down from a greenside bunker.
The former Olympic champion maintained that advantage in unorthodox fashion on the par-three fourth after his skied tee shot came up 50 yards short of the green, a superb pitch to five feet allowing him to escape with a par.
Rose, who finished runner-up to Jordan Spieth in 2015 and lost a play-off to Sergio Garcia in 2017, was unable to repeat the feat on the fifth after driving into a fairway bunker, but bounced back with a birdie on the eighth.
An aggressive tee shot on the par-three 12th set up another birdie from close range before a badly misjudged chip from short of the green cost Rose a shot on the 14th, but he quickly made amends with a birdie on the 16th.
McIlroy needed a fast start on Friday to get back into contention but could only cover the front nine in 35 before kickstarting his challenge in style with stunning approach shots to the 10th and 11th setting up tap-in birdies.
The four-time major champion then enjoyed a massive slice of luck on the 12th as his tee shot bounded over the green into the bushes, only to kick back towards the putting surface, from where he two-putted for par.
There was no luck involved, although plenty of risk, on the 13th as McIlroy went for the green in two from the pine straw, his iron shot just carrying Rae’s Creek and setting up an eagle attempt from 10 feet he duly converted.
An opening 72 had meant it was the seventh consecutive year McIlroy started round two six or more shots off the pace, with just one of the last 19 Masters champions – Garcia – being more than four shots behind after round one.
A Rory McIlroy highlight on No. 10. He moves to two under par. #themasters pic.twitter.com/FJ2RC7ojSC
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2025
Only two men in history have come from seven behind after 18 holes to win, Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2005.
To make matters worse, McIlroy had been primed to break 70 in the first round at Augusta National for just the third time in 17 attempts when he reached four under par with a two-putt birdie on the 13th.
However, the world number two missed from short range for another birdie on the next and then double-bogeyed both the 15th and 17th.
