By Rory Carroll
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 10 (Reuters) – Justin Rose grabbed the clubhouse lead in the second round of the Masters on Friday after firing a three-under 69 while overnight co-leader Rory McIlroy stayed hot early in his round and Scottie Scheffler struggled.
Rose, a three-times Masters runner-up, vented his frustration after missing a birdie putt on the eighth and responded with birdies on nine, 10 and 11 to keep his hopes of finally slipping on a Green Jacket alive.
“Of course I want to win this tournament. I don’t really need to try any harder, you know what I mean?” he said.
“Trying harder ain’t going to help me. So that’s probably the dance I’m doing with myself.”
American Wyndham Clark, LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton, and China’s Li Haotong were in the clubhouse one shot back of Rose at four-under par at the tournament’s halfway point.
Englishman Hatton, who became the first player in six years to hit all 18 greens in a Masters round on a sun-soaked day, said he expected the course to only get more challenging.
“I think the greens are just going to get firmer and faster, which is quite a scary prospect,” he said.
MCILROY SHINES, SCHEFFLER STRUGGLES
Defending champion McIlroy got off to a blistering start, going three under through his first four holes to extend his lead before his momentum was halted by a bogey on the par-four fifth. He made the turn at seven under for the week.
The Northern Irishman has looked relaxed and dangerous after the weight of achieving the career Grand Slam was finally lifted off his shoulders with his thrilling triumph here a year ago.
McIlroy is trying to become the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles – and the first since Tiger Woods in 2002 – but will face a stiff test on the back nine as temperatures continue to rise and speed up the putting surfaces.
Scheffler, who had not played competitively since mid-March, was never able to find his rhythm in his round.
The world number one, who has typically responded superbly to bogeys throughout his career, missed a short putt on the par-four fifth to card a second straight bogey.
He missed an eagle putt on the par-five eighth, a hole the two-times Masters champion has feasted on in the past, and in the end mixed two birdies with four bogeys for a round of two-over to head into the weekend at even par.
Unlike recent Masters tournaments, rain has not been a factor this week. Low humidity and bright Georgia sunshine are expected to leave Augusta National fast, firm and increasingly demanding for the rest of Friday and through the weekend.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)
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