Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Justin Rose clung to a one-stroke lead after firing a one-under par 71 in Friday’s second round of the 89th Masters, with reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy charging after him. Rose stood on eight-under 136 after 36 holes at Augusta National, with DeChambeau one stroke adrift through 12 holes after four birdies in his first eight.
Four-time major winner McIlroy, however, was the most electrifying with birdies at 10 and 11, a nine-foot eagle putt at the par-five 13th, and an incredible par save from trees at 14 to stand on five-under. McIlroy, who found only five of the first 14 fairways, had stumbled late with two double bogeys in Thursday’s last four holes. It was a bitter blow to the world number two from Northern Ireland, who needs a Masters victory to complete a career Grand Slam.
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Rose began the day with a three-stroke edge after matching his Masters career low with a 65 on Thursday, and the 44-year-old Englishman patiently took his opportunities in round two. Rose, the 2013 US Open winner and 2016 Rio Olympic champion, blasted out of a bunker to 14 feet at the par-five second and made the birdie putt, but came up short of the fifth green and made bogey. Rose responded with a five-foot birdie putt at the par-five eighth and sank a four-foot birdie putt at the par-three 12th to reach nine-under.
DeChambeau sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the second, holed out from a bunker from 36 feet at the par-three fourth, and made an eight-foot birdie putt at the fifth to ignite his charge. DeChambeau two-putted from 18 feet for birdie at the eighth to reach seven-under, and when Rose made bogey at 14 after missing the green with his approach, he moved within one stroke of the lead.
Rose answered the challenge with a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th but found a bunker on his approach at the par-4 17th and made bogey, only to close with a tension-packed 13-foot par putt at 18 to stay in the lead. Meanwhile, McIlroy blasted his approach at the par-five 13th from the pine straw to nine feet and sank his eagle putt as the crowd roared with delight in the day’s highlight.
South Korea’s Im Sung-jae opened and closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies and was five-under through 15 holes. Canada’s Corey Conners birdied the second to reach five-under after six holes.
American Matt McCarty, a Masters rookie, opened double bogey-bogey then battled back, closing the front nine with four birdies and adding four more before a closing bogey to finish on 68 and stand on five-under 139. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, a Masters runner-up last year in his major debut, had two birdies and two bogeys to remain on four-under after 14 holes.
Overnight rain softened Augusta National, with cloudy skies and windy conditions dominating the afternoon as top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler birdied the second to reach five-under. Scheffler, who also won a green jacket in 2022, is trying to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back Masters champions and match Nicklaus as the only players to capture three green jackets in a four-year span.
World number four Collin Morikawa, a two-time major winner, remained on level par after parring the first. Third-ranked Xander Schauffele, the 2024 PGA Championship and Open Championship winner, was at two-under overall through 12 holes.
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