As the second round of The Masters draws to a close, almost all of the major contenders are near the top of the leaderboard. Justin Rose maintains his lead at Augusta National after a second-round 1-under 71 on Friday. The Englishman is one shot ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, who had a 68 to improve on his first-round 65. DeChambeau is looking for his first green jacket at the tournament, but he has two U.S. Open titles and was the runner-up at last year’s Masters.
Rory McIlroy climbed up from even-par on Thursday and sits at six-under after firing a 66 on Friday. The Northern Irishman is attempting to complete the career Grand Slam, and he’ll be playing alongside Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler on Saturday at Augusta.
The Masters is the only major golf event held each year at Augusta National, the club’s private course in Georgia. The field is limited to only a few hundred players, making it one of the most exclusive events on the PGA Tour calendar. Invitations are offered to previous Masters champions, recent major winners, leading players on the PGA Tour in the previous season, and leading amateurs who qualify through a series of criteria.
A total of 53 players made the cut at this year’s Masters, and the top 10 and ties advance to the weekend. The Masters cut line this year was 2 over par, one of the lowest in tournament history.