AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy cannot cease trying on the leaderboard.
Watch him bounce from fairway to inexperienced in any match he performs, and you may see him maintain his eyes on the inexperienced every time potential. The five-time main champion all the time needs to know the place he stands.
At Augusta Nationwide Stadium, the place analog is king, massive whiteboards conveyed suspense at their very own tempo, and on Friday it was a narrative that slowly unfolded behind these names and license plates.
A yr after he shattered the ghost of Masters previous in excruciating style, McIlroy is within the driver’s seat, chasing a second inexperienced jacket and the primary back-to-back Augusta title since Tiger Woods in 2001.
Whether or not it was a renewed sense of goal, sudden freedom or just the truth that he was as soon as once more taking part in among the greatest golf of anybody who performs the sport, McIlroy raced to a 65 on Friday, leaving him six strokes away from the remainder of the sphere. In 90 Masters tournaments, no participant has held such a lead after two rounds.
“I all the time felt like this golf course would let me run if I allowed it,” McIlroy mentioned. “I’ve all the time had the flexibility to make runs like this, however I feel I received to the purpose the place I allowed myself to play the course the best way I knew I might. So I outdid myself. I stayed aggressive.”
It isn’t that McIlroy has been below the radar this week, it is that his play this week has taken a backseat as a number of TV options, YouTube movies and documentaries have been so centered on remembering final yr’s exploits. Simply not by him. As he mentioned Friday, he ready as a lot for this Masters as he has ever ready, taking a day journey from Florida to play the course and getting right here this week sooner than ever.
“I have been going to this golf course for the final three weeks,” he mentioned. “It was a mix of observe and chipping and placing across the greens, after which simply taking part in one ball and hitting a rating, after which on the finish going to bizarre locations that you simply would possibly by no means discover by yourself and simply making an attempt to determine it out. I feel an enormous a part of that was simply spending a lot time right here.”
In Friday’s spherical, McIlroy moved the dialog firmly into the current and delivered historical past. However among the world’s greatest gamers sitting behind him are able to attempt to chase him, even when he tries not to consider them.
Requested about intimidating different gamers on the sphere, McIlroy mentioned, “That is not what I need to do.” “Truthfully, I do not care…Golf is the best sport as a result of it is simply you and your golf ball and the golf course. You should not be influenced by different folks.”
Among the gamers behind him embody those that broke bread with him on the Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday night time, in addition to those that have fought for Patrick Reed previously. The previous LIV participant will slot into McIlroy’s again six alongside Sam Barnes. Like McIlroy, Reed is aiming for his second win right here. However whereas McIlroy can nonetheless attain out and faucet into the overwhelming emotion that overwhelmed him on the 18th inexperienced final yr, the recollections of Reed’s victory aren’t fairly as recent.
“I have been desirous to put on it once more since 2018,” Reid mentioned of the inexperienced jacket. “I really like the place I’m in.”
The remainder of the highest 10 consists of three gamers throughout the high 10 of the World Golf Rating, 5 main winners, and lots of acquainted faces. As soon as once more, Justin Rose heads into the weekend aiming for his second main victory figuring out precisely what he must do to win. He got here again final yr and nearly stole it from McIlroy within the playoffs. Will they ship an encore as effectively?
“After all I need to win this match. I haven’t got to strive any tougher,” Rose, who’s at 5 below, mentioned Friday. “Holding it tighter would not assist me. So possibly that is the dance I am dancing with myself. I do know there’s an intrinsic motivation there. It is execution.”
Tommy Fleetwood, who had two eagles on Friday, added his personal cost to the leaderboard, dropping seven spots again. Fleetwood’s evaluation of the weekend, which noticed McIlroy come out on high regardless of his placing collectively Sport 68, was easy and to the purpose.
“What occurs is as much as him,” Fleetwood mentioned.
McIlroy’s curler coaster ultimate spherical final yr demonstrated two issues. McIlroy would not have a sufficiently big result in really feel snug with or anybody else at Augusta, however nobody put extra stress and expectations on McIlroy than he did that afternoon.
That has now been resolved, if not utterly gone. As McIlroy cheekily defined on Thursday, he might e book a spherical right here if he might stroll right down to the Champions dressing room, seize a inexperienced jacket and drink a Coke Zero and really feel comfy for the remainder of the day. It is a consolation he is nonetheless getting used to, however on the identical time it is also an quantity of perspective that he clearly would not permit to get in the best way of his want to extend his main totals.
“All these years, my mindset hasn’t been ‘maintain swinging.’ I have been guided by the interim,” McIlroy mentioned. “I feel the expertise I’ve gathered over time and clearly what occurred final yr has made it a bit of bit simpler to maintain swinging.”
That is why McIlroy’s recommendation to himself heading into the weekend is straightforward. Like final yr, this quest will not be about anybody else however his personal battle with what lies between the golf course and his personal ears. However in contrast to final yr, his coronary heart is in a significantly better place now.
“I feel the following two days for me are actually about specializing in myself,” McIlroy mentioned. “It is laborious to keep away from the large leaderboards, however you realize you are within the lead, so you do not have to maintain checking it on a regular basis.”
By the point McIlroy climbed the hill main as much as Inexperienced Friday on the 18th, patrons, who had seen the numbers subsequent to his title on the leaderboard proceed to develop, heaped reward on him.
“He is hitting all Proper shot,” mentioned one patron.
The quantity rose with every step McIlroy took. He lifted his putter within the air and used it minutes later to sink his ninth birdie of the day, his sixth within the ultimate seven holes. Earlier than leaving his spherical, he took one final take a look at essentially the most recognizable leaderboard on the sphere.
That informed McIlroy all the pieces he wanted to know: He has 36 extra holes so as to add to his legend.
