Rory McIlroy put himself back into Masters winning contention with a skilful 69 on day two of the Masters.
After the first hole double bogey mishap on day one it was McIlroy at his US Open winning best on day two of the year’s first Major.
McIlroy quickly moved into overtaking mode with three birdies in his opening seven holes and while he managed an even par inward nine his five under par tally put the curly haired Ulsterman just two behind the leading duo of Fred Couples (67) and Jason Duffner (70).
Couples defied his 52 years in posting a 67 as he seeks to capture a second green jacket after winning in 1982.
Dufner was the hapless near hero of last year’s PGA Championship after losing a play-off to fellow American Keegan Bradley.
Rory McIlroy moves into contention at 2012 Masters.
McIlroy shared third place with Lee Westwood who doubled the last in a 73, former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen (72) along with Spaniard Sergio Garcia (68) and southpaw Bubba Watson (71).
After starting with a horrible double on day one McIlroy said he carried the momentum of birding the closing two holes into Friday’s second round,
“The whole round on Thursday was important to me not only to let the start get to me, and those two birdies at the end really gave me some momentum going into today,” he said.
“That was a big challenge for me, a big test, because obviously not the way you want to start the tournament.
“So to stay patient and hang in there, I felt like I did that pretty well.
“Every time you come back here, you feel a little more comfortable every time, and that’s how I feel now.
“There’s a few tee shots that I was probably more comfortable with a couple of years ago than I am now.
“But overall I’m comfortable. I feel like I’ve got a better short game than I had a couple of years ago, which enables me to be a lot more aggressive into the greens, because I know if I don’t quite get it right, I still have a good short game to get it up‑and‑down.”
Twelve months ago, McIlroy led the opening two rounds with scores of 65 and 69 for a 10-under par tally.
And while he went into the last round leading by four after a third day 70, McIlroy says he’s happy to be in the position he is given he is also the reigning U.S. Open champion.
“I’m not leading, so that’s a bit different,” he said.
“I’m sort of in the pack. But it’s not a bad place to be. I’ve been in this position before.
“I’ve come back here a Major Champion, and I come back here with a lot more experience than I had this time last year, and you think all that just sort of makes a difference.
While McIlroy is looking to become the second youngest winner of the Masters he also will be looking to create another slice of history should he win.
It also has been 62 years since a player last took a double on the opening hole and then went on to win the Masters.
