Augusta, GA ….
Rory McIlroy was an Augusta National portrait of patience finding his way to share the clubhouse lead with a no-frills 71 on day two of the Masters.
It was also a determined and dogged four-time Major winner on a bright but very testing day on the Augusta National greens.
McIlroy grabbed four birdies but also dropped three shots to move to four-under par and minutes before being joined in the stately Georgia clubhouse by Jordan Spieth, who fought back from a first hole double bogey in shooting a 74.
An early fist pump for Rory McIlroy after a birdie on No. 2 during the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo @Masters).
“I am pretty happy given I started with a bogey but I steadied the ship after the sixth hole in not making a bogey from thereon in,” McIlroy said.
“I had two good shots there for birdie on 17 and 18 to go to five or six-under but when it’s all said a 71 out there today was a pretty good score.
“The thing is that once I get myself up there leading or near the lead I do feel comfortable and when you are playing well enough the first two days you should be up there.
“I have always felt comfortable here and around the lead, and it’s a place I am thankfully quite familiar with”.
McIlroy headed into his 36th Augusta round sharing fourth place and just three behind Grand Slam rival Spieth.
McIlroy had bogeyed the first but after Spieth doubled his opening hole McIlroy then birdied two holes in succession to find himself sharing the lead.
The World No. 7 ranked Ulsterman had put his opening drive left into the Augusta pines and then after finding the green, McIlroy three-putted from just short of 50-feet.
McIlroy collected a career 14th birdie at the downhill par-5 second but only after landing his drive in a fairway bunker and then after being 83-yards short of the green, he turned on the brilliance draining 30-footer for birdie.
He then birdied the 350-yard par-4 third hole in missing the green left with a booming 345-yard drive ahead of chipping over a bunker to only four feet.
But it would be the highwater mark of his round dropping a shot the next in taking three shots to get up-and-down from the behind the green at the downhill par-4 fourth hole.
McIlroy was then back to one-under in bogeying the par-3 sixth hole and on this occasion taking three shots from 13-yards behind the hole to get down for a ‘4’.
He then posted six straight pars and then for a second day running, and for a Masters career individual Masters record of 16 birdies, McIlroy walked off with a birdie ‘3’ at the par-5 13th.
Rory McIlroy on his way to a very patient round of 71 on day two of the 2018 Masters. (Photo – @Masters)
McIlroy had found the left-side of the green in ‘2’ and then two-putted from the length of a cricket pitch for his ‘4’.
He returned to four-under for a second time in his round in holing a monster 27-footer at the par-4 14th ahead of a par at the par-5 15th.
McIlroy ended his round with four pars but then letting go of his putter in a 360-degree toss after seeing his 11-foot birdie attempt just miss the cup.
“I had chances all the way in which was good and even though I did not get off to the best of starts, I am really pleased with how I remained patient out there,” he said.
“The wind wasn’t all that strong but it was just sufficient enough to make it very tricky.
“The pin positions also were in a little tougher pin positions than they were yesterday, so it was tough to get it close.
“The key to today was not to give too many strokes away within your short-range putting range of six feet as they are pretty difficult.
“So, if you can hole most of those and then a few 20 to 25-footers then they are a bonus in any golf tournament.”
