By DOUG FERGUSON
AUGUSTA — Justin Rose did simply sufficient hold the lead Friday within the Masters, solely he all of a sudden has a number of firm going into the weekend at Augusta Nationwide.
Bryson DeChambeau turned the one participant with consecutive sub-70 rounds and obtained inside one shot, placing him within the closing group. Proper behind was Rory McIlroy, who tried to erase from his reminiscence that sloppy end within the first spherical and roared into rivalry to place the profession Grand Slam again into view.
Scottie Scheffler began his title protection with 24 straight holes and not using a bogey. He then made 5 bogeys over the past 12 holes to gradual his progress. He nonetheless was solely three photographs behind.
“The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there,” Rose stated after his 1-under 71, which featured birdies on the par 5s on the entrance 9 and on the par 3s on the again 9.
“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,” he stated. “It’s as simple as that, really.”
Rose took a three-shot lead into the second spherical and had the benefit of enjoying early, earlier than the wind turned sturdy sufficient to make flags snap and create simply sufficient indecision.
He hit a 9-iron over Rae’s Creek to 4 toes for birdie on the par-3 twelfth, and he stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 sixteenth for an additional birdie. That allowed him to atone for a couple of errors.
He was at 8-under 136, the third time he has had the 36-hole lead on the Masters.
The thrill got here from behind him.
DeChambeau picked up an unlikely birdie by holing a bunker shot on the par-3 fourth gap on his approach to a 32 on the entrance 9 that saved him on Rose’s heels the remainder of the best way. He wound up with a 68 for his finest begin ever within the Masters.
“This is what golf is about,” DeChambeau stated. “Got a lot of great names up there, and looking forward to an unbelievable test of golf.”
After which there was McIlroy, who had two double bogeys over the past 4 holes Thursday, the most recent irritating chapter for him on the Masters. This time, he managed to neglect about it and transfer on. He went birdie-birdie-par-eagle to begin the again 9 and was on his approach to a bogey-free 66.
“I had to remind myself I was playing well,” McIlroy stated. “I couldn’t let two bad holes dictate the narrative of the 16 good ones. I also had to remind myself this morning not to push too hard too early.”
Corey Conners of Canada quietly put collectively a 70 and joined McIlroy at 6-under 138.
The group three photographs again included Scheffler (71), former British Open champion Shane Lowry (68) and Tyrrell Hatton, who obtained inside one shot of Rose till a pair of three-putts. One among them did a U-turn down the hill on the sixteenth. The opposite was a sleepy tap-in that lipped out.
It shapes up for a wide-open weekend, led by a 44-year-old from England who has gone a dozen years since successful his solely main on the 2013 U.S. Open. Rose spoke final yr about discovering one other stretch of magic in his profession, and alternative awaits.
That’s additionally the case for DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion; for McIlroy, the sentimental favourite of so many on the Augusta Nationwide as he tries to get the final leg of the profession Grand Slam; for Scheffler who coped with loads of stress the course gave him Friday.
“That’s the company that I expect to keep, and that’s where I have tried to be my whole career,” Rose stated. “I’ve been a top-10 player in the world for a decade or more. So yeah, this is nice to be back in that mix.”
McIlroy was thrilled, too. There was loads of temptation to come back out firing, however that’s what he did in 2023 when he performed Friday afternoon and noticed he confronted a 10-shot deficit. He tried to cost and wound up charging proper out of the car parking zone after lacking the minimize.
This time, he performed the entrance 9 with one birdie and eight pars. However he got here to life rapidly, stuffing a three-quarter 8-iron to a foot on No. 10 and the same play with a 9-iron to about 4 toes on No. 11. Better of all was hitting 4-iron off the pine straw on the par-5 thirteenth that narrowly cleared the tributary of Rae’s Creek and arrange a 10-foot eagle.
“Things sort of clicked into gear on the back nine,” McIlroy stated.
The minimize was at 2-over 146, marking the top of 67-year-old Bernhard Langer’s Masters profession. He wanted to make a 10-foot par putt on the final gap, just for it to tickle the precise facet of the cup.
5-time main champion Brooks Koepka might need had essentially the most stunning departure. He was in good condition, needing a bogey on the 18th. He made a quadruple bogey, beginning with a tee shot into the timber and ending with a three-putt from 10 toes.
Now the attentions shifts again to the highest, the place 16 gamers have been separated by 5 photographs going into the ultimate two days.
Rose is atop the leaderboard after a spherical for the tenth time at Augusta, and not using a inexperienced jacket to indicate for it. He’ll attempt to grow to be the second-oldest participant at 44 to win the inexperienced jacket behind Jack Nicklaus (46) in that mystical 1986 Masters.
