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.

“I’m comfortable,” McIlroy said. “I’m comfortable with my game, I’m happy with this position going into the weekend, and the conditions don’t look to be getting much easier out there, so it will be nice to have a nice afternoon and look forward to tomorrow.”

McIlroy had started the day in confident mood that he could eradicate the “silly mistakes” with his putter that left him with an opening-round of level-par 72. Yet the world No 2 got off to the worst possible start when he three-putted the first hole for a five in the midst of a heavy rain shower as Augusta National’s slick greens slowed up a fraction.

Another bogey was added at the par-four third but just as McIlroy’s chances of adding a Masters victory to his 2011 US Open and 2012 USPGA Championship successes were being written off, the Holywood golfer got back to level pegging with an eagle at the par-five eighth hole, conjured with a five-wood 275 yards from the pin which pitched onto left greenside mounding and rolled to within four feet of the hole.

“I was surprised to see where it finished. You’re looking to get a chip shot that close, so it was nice to get up there and see that ball pretty close to the hole.”

He made the turn in level par and having made a steady start to his back nine, rolled in birdies at the 13th and 14th holes to move to two under, a bogey at the 16th cancelled out by a birdie at the last for a 70 that did indeed mark a return to form with the putter allied with his newly dialled in swing and iron play, not least with a big par-saving putt on 17.

“The improvement in the putting from last night to today has been a big thing,” McIlroy said. “I’m committing to my lines a lot better. I think what pleased me today was just not letting it get away from me. Two over through three holes and having par putts on the next four from outside six feet and being able to turn in even par was something I was very proud of today.

“It was good. I made a lot of good putts for pars on the front nine. I didn’t play my best for the first few holes and the eighth hole really got me going, really kick-started me.

“Then I started to hit some really good quality shots. I took advantage of a couple of easier holes on the back nine, 13, 14. So, yeah, anything under par today was going to be a good score and I stayed patient out there when I needed to and it was a good day.”

McIlroy will need two more good days if he is realise his ambitions and complete a third leg of his career grand slam of Majors for there is plenty of seasoned, Major-winning talent between him and the lead as he heads into today’s third round.

Not least Woods, the four-time champion, world No 1 and tournament favourite who was three under for his round after 10 holes and into a share of the lead at five under alongside Couples in the clubhouse and first round co-leader Marc Leishman, also still out on the course. Angel Cabrera, the 2009 champion from Argentina, birdied four of his last five holes to move to four under par with a 69, with Leishman’s fellow Australian Adam Scott in the clubhouse at three under alongside American Jason Dufner and England’s David Lynn.

Couples, who since turning 50 in October 2009 has recorded a tie for sixth, 15th and 12th in his last three Masters appearances, followed an opening 68 with a second-round 71 last night to take the clubhouse lead at five under, 21 years after he donned the green jacket.

“It’s a hard course out there,” Couples said. “I felt very good about what I shot. I had a couple little hiccups out there and did some other good things to shoot my score. But you know, the golf course is winning today.

“I don’t know, I saw Cabrera, his name up there, birdieing the last, I think, four or five holes, so you know, that’s kind of maybe the only guy out there, if you look at it, that has a run like that, that’s pretty positive for him.

“I’m just having fun watching the boards.

“And for me, I butchered the seventh hole, and I actually thought I hit a pretty good second shot. I just hit it over the green, over the bunker and the pin was way right, and I told myself to play it for a five and I kind of gashed a sand wedge over the green into the gallery and chipped it up five feet and missed it for bogey.

“But then I made a huge two-putt from the front edge of No. 8 from about 100 feet, and that, you know, was kind of like a sigh of relief. From then on, I played really, really well.”

He wasn’t the only old stager making his presence felt on the second day here in Georgia. Bernhard Langer, two years Couples’ senior and the champion in 1985 and 1993, will start the third round at two under after a second 71 in succession.

“I’m pretty happy the way I played overall,” the German said. “I left a few putts short which is disappointing, but I didn’t do it on purpose.

“I have a different attitude this year, I’m trying to win, trying to be on the leaderboard, and not just trying to scrape in and make the cut. So, so far, so good.”

Langer was aware of his contemporary Couples tearing it up.

“Fred loves this place. I talked to him yesterday, he’s played here 28 times and he’s only missed one cut by one shot. So this is his second home.”