McIlroy leads by six and vows to keep the pedal down

Masters champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland speaks to members of the press following the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 10, 2026.

Rory McIlroy looked like a man on a mission in his quest for back-to-back Masters victories when he stepped on the gas coming down the stretch and fired a sensational 65 to ease into a record six-shot halfway lead at Augusta National.

The Holywood star appeared destined to zoom off into the distance as he birdied the second, third and fourth to lead by three shots.

But while he came back to the field with bogeys at the fifth and 10th, he slammed his foot on the gas as the chasing pack closed on the back nine and birdied six of his last seven holes.

Birdies the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th left him four clear before he outrageously chipped in at the 17th and then knocked in a six-footer at last for a homeward nine of 31.

At 12-under par, he leads by six shots from Sam Burns (71) and 2018 champion Patrick Reed (69) with Shane Lowry seven shots behind in a tie for fourth with Justin Rose (69) and Tommy Fleetwood (68) after he plotted his way to an impressive bogey-free 69.

"Look, 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,” he said.

Remarkably, McIlroy didn’t hit the fairway on a par-five over the first two days.

Even more remarkably, he found just one of them in two—the eighth in round one.

And yet he still played the three-shot holes in seven-under-par to match his total on the par-fives over 72 holes in last year’s breakthrough win.

Unburdened by that victory, McIlroy is now on track to become just the fourth man after Jack Nicklaus (1966), Nick Faldo (1990) and Tiger Woods (2002) to win back-to-back Masters.

The omens are good.

His six-shot lead beat the record for the largest 36-hole advantage of five shots.

That was set by Harry Cooper (1936), Herman Keiser (1946), Nicklaus (1975), Ray Floyd (1976), Jordan Spieth (2015), and Scottie Scheffler (2022).

Only Cooper did not go on to win, finishing second to Horton Smith.

As for his play on the par-fives, he had an explanation.

“Becoming a wily old veteran,” he said with a smile. “I remember, even going back to the final round in 2011, hitting it in that bunker off the tee at the second hole and, like, not panicking, but thinking, oh, this isn't good. I can't go for this in two.  

“And I walk up there today, and it's like, no, I lay it up to a good number, and I'll have a good chance to make a birdie.

“There's 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-5s to build the score that I have.”

He tried to protect a four-shot final-round lead at the 2011 Masters and imploded in the process, carding an 80.

A few weeks later, he won the US Open by eight strokes at Congressional by keeping his foot down and he plans to do the same this weekend.

Asked what advice “Congressional Rory” would give him, he said: “Don't protect it. Go out and play freely, keep swinging.  

“That was a big part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 US Open was don't get protective. Go out there and keep playing, keep trying to make birdies, stay as trusting and as committed as possible.”

He credited his brilliant chipping and putting display to making multiple visits to Augusta in the three weeks he took off after The Players.

As for his lead, he knows it’s not safe at a course where eagles and disasters are so frequent and what make the Masters so compelling.

“I just want to go out and play two good rounds again,” he said. “Obviously this golf course has certain characteristics that guys can get on runs, guys can make eagles, you hear roars all over the golf course.

“I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself. It's hard to avoid those big leaderboards out there, but like I know that I've got a lead.  “So I don't need to keep checking it all the time. So for me, just really focusing on myself and staying in my own little world out there is the best thing.”