McIlroy magic returns as Tiger prowls

Rory McIlory overcame a nightmare start to his second round to put himself back on track for a big push for Masters glory this weekend as Tiger Woods was making his charge up the leaderboard at Augusta National.

With morning rain giving way to bright sunshine but also strong, gusting winds, play on the second day of the 77th Masters was extremely tough as players jostled for position ahead of the weekend or strove to make the halfway cut, changed this year to expand the third and fourth round fields to the top 50 and ties, plus those within 10 strokes of the lead.

The cut was of no concern to McIlroy, however, as he posted a two-under-par 70 to move to two under for the tournament, nicely positioned behind clubhouse leader, 53-year-old 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples on five under.