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Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are Back in Contention at Augusta

Justin Rose leads the Masters, but Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are on his heels. It sets up an intriguing weekend at Augusta.

Jeff Ritter

McIlroy made four birdies and an eagle on Friday.
McIlroy made four birdies and an eagle on Friday. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

AUGUSTA — Justin Rose just might hold the Masters lead for another evening, but with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau now hot on his heels, it may not be a restful night's sleep.

One day after a stunning late-round meltdown, Rory McIlroy shrugged it away to fire a bogey-free 66 and jump right back onto the leaderboard at 6 under and two behind Rose. His round included a highlight-reel shot on the par-5 13th, where he drove into the pine straw, took a gamble on reaching the green in two and pulled it off. McIlroy knocked in that eagle putt. He knew going for the green in two was a pivotal moment.

"When the ball was in the air, I was like, 'you idiot, what did you do?' It's one of those ones, as well, it's a pin that even if you do hit it into the hazard, it's a pretty—not a routine up-and-down, but it's a little easier than, say, where the pin was yesterday in that front section," he said. "Yeah, I rode my luck a little bit with that second shot, but was nice to take advantage of it."

McIlroy later birdied the par-5 15th, the scene of his undoing on Thursday.

"I was so frustrated last night because I played so well, and you can make these big numbers from absolutely nowhere on this golf course, just like the most benign position," he said. "It was a good reminder last night that you just have to have your wits about it you on every single golf shot. And then today, when the second shot was in the air, it was a little touch and go. Even where the ball finished sort of on the slope, I was thinking of running to mark it to make sure it wasn't going to run back down the hill.

"It was nice to make a 4 there."

McIlroy's chase for a green jacket and the career Grand Slam will extend into the weekend. In the afternoon wave Corey Conners signed for 70 to match McIlroy at 6 under for the event and they share third place.

DeChambeau came home with a 4-under 68, good for 7 under and one behind Rose, alone in second place. DeChambeau continues to lead the field in driving distance by a healthy margin, and he made four birdies on his first eight holes Friday, including a hole-out from the left bunker on the par-3 4th hole, which probably saved him two shots and drew the biggest roar of the morning.

DeChambeau is amped up and very much likes his position with 36 holes to play.

"I'm going to keep it simple. I'm excited. Very excited for the weekend.," he said. "This is what golf is about. Got a lot of great names up there, and looking forward to an unbelievable test of golf."

After a steady opening round, Rose rode the wave Friday, ringing up four birdies and three bogeys to sign for a 1-under 71. He remains the solo leader, even as he lamented a few loose swings over the closing holes.

"Made two good swings on 14 and 17, but just misjudgments on the conditions and the wind. Those two 5s could have been two birdie putts quite easily and would have changed the complexion of the round a little bit," he said. "Overall, under par, in a great position going into the weekend."

Rose will enjoy a long rest before a Saturday afternoon tee time.

Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world who won here in 2022 and '24, made his first bogey of the week at the 7th hole, and went on to make four more. But also made five birdies to finish off a 71. He's 5 under for the event, three behind Rose. A case could be made that this is still Scheffler's Masters to lose, even as he trails.

PGA Tour rookie Matt McCarty is playing just his 16th Tour event and began his second round with a double on 1 and a bogey on 2. But suddenly and without warning, he caught fire and rang up eight birdies before making a 5 on the closing hole. He signed for 68, good for 5 under for the tournament. Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, joins McCarty, Tyrrell Hatton and Scheffler at 5 under.

Viktor Hovland, still seeking his first major title, got all the way to 6 under before a bogey-bogey finish. He's four back, along with Jason Day and Rasum Højgaard.

Like Thursday's opening round, conditions were bright and warm. Another great day for scoring.

Rose said he welcomes a leaderboard packed with the top players in the rankings.

"That's the company that I expect to keep, and that's where I have tried to be my whole career," he said. "So I've been a top-10 player in the world for a decade or more. So, yeah, this is nice to, obviously, yeah, be back in that mix."

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Jeff Ritter
JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of SI Golf. He has more than 20 years of sports media experience, and previously was the general manager at the Morning Read, where he led that business's growth and joined SI as part of an acquisition in 2022. Earlier in his career he spent more than a decade at SI and Golf Magazine, and his journalism awards include a MIN Magazine Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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