Justin Rose continued his hunt for a maiden Masters triumph as he set the pace once again with a solid second round on Friday. (More Sports News)
World number one Scottie Scheffler was among the late starters looking to keep pace with Rose, with Tyrell Hatton also looking to put pressure on the top
Justin Rose continued his hunt for a maiden Masters triumph as he set the pace once again with a solid second round on Friday. (More Sports News)
Rose followed up his superb seven-under 65 in the opening round at Augusta National with a one-under 71 to set the clubhouse target at eight under.
He was not able to replicate his red-hot form from Thursday but kept himself in a strong position after carding four birdies and three bogeys.
He holds a one-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau at the halfway stage, while Rory McIlroy surged back into contention after carding a brilliant six-under 66, having crumbled in the closing stages of the opening round.
Rose is the only player to have led or shared the lead after each round of the Masters without winning. Despite his lead at the top being cut, Rose, who has previously finished runner-up twice at the tournament, is determined to build on his experience.
"I think I'll take it any time," Rose said of potentially winning a Green Jacket.
"Beggars can't be choosers, you know. But I would take it right now for sure. Sometimes, if it happens too early in your career, you've got a lot to live up to.
"I think if it happens now, I would enjoy it, I think, probably a lot more, coming a bit more as a gift towards the end of your career. So, I think there would be a lot more satisfaction in it for sure.
"If [winning the Masters] was a secret recipe, you'd know it by now. The leaderboard is stacking up with world-class players.
"So, you're going to have to play great golf, and you're going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it. It's as simple as that."
McIlroy, meanwhile, praised his own resilience after bouncing back from a tough first day to keep his hopes of a career grand slam alive.
After finishing with a level-par on Thursday, marking the seventh consecutive year he has been six or more back from the leader after the first round, he sits two shots back following Friday's round.
"I think, overall, just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night," McIlroy said. "I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday.
"I wasn't going to let two bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week. But, yeah, ultimately just proud of how I got back into it.
"I don't think I proved anything; if anything, I just backed up the belief I have in myself and the belief that I'm as resilient as anyone else out here."
World number one Scottie Scheffler was among the late starters looking to keep pace with Rose, with Tyrell Hatton also looking to put pressure on the top.
There was also a final goodbye to the Masters from two-time champion Bernhard Langer, who missed the cut in his last appearance at the tournament.
He finished on a three-over, having carded two-over 74 and one-over 73 across the two rounds.
"It was a wonderful setting, and I've had a fantastic 41 years here at Augusta as a player," he said. "I now look forward to many more as a non-competing past champion.
"It's been really fun playing the last two days. I've got various standing ovations around the golf course... the patrons seem to really appreciate what I've done."