McIlroy Vows to Maintain Aggressive Approach with Record Masters Lead

Rory McIlroy is determined to maintain his aggressive approach as he attempts to defend his title at The Masters, following a stunning second-round performance that saw him take a record lead. The 36-year-old's impressive display has given him a six-shot cushion over Americans Sam Burns and Patrick Reed, who are tied for second place. McIlroy's strategy is to avoid becoming overly protective of his lead and instead focus on continuing to play freely and make birdies. This approach has served him well so far, with the Northern Irishman producing a spectacular round-of-the-day 65 on Friday to get to 12 under after 36 holes. McIlroy's efficiency on the course has been key to his success, with the world No 2 repeatedly recovering from tricky situations over the opening two rounds. He has also been impressive on the par fives, making birdies at three out of the four longer holes despite missing the fairway with his tee shots on all of them. McIlroy's mindset is to keep his foot on the gas and maintain his momentum over the weekend, rather than easing off and trying to protect his lead. This approach has been influenced by his experience at the 2011 US Open, where he won by eight shots after leading by six shots at the halfway stage. McIlroy is also drawing on the feeling that he is 'playing with the house's money', having already achieved his goal of winning at Augusta National last year. This has allowed him to adopt a more relaxed approach to the game, which has helped him to overcome challenging moments and stay focused on his objective.