McIlroy Makes History with Record-Breaking Lead at The Masters

Rory McIlroy has taken a significant step towards defending his title at The Masters, achieving a historic six-shot lead going into the weekend at Augusta National. Following his career Grand Slam victory over Justin Rose last year, McIlroy continued his pursuit of major success with an impressive round-of-the-day 65 on Friday afternoon. He broke the record for the lowest 36-hole score by a defending champion, moving to 12 under and becoming the firm favorite to join the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as a back-to-back winner of The Masters. McIlroy birdied six of his last seven holes, surpassing Sam Burns and former Masters winner Patrick Reed, while Justin Rose and Shane Lowry shared fourth place with Tommy Fleetwood after posting second-round 69s. 'This course allows you to get on a roll,' McIlroy stated. 'I didn't expect to birdie six of the last seven, but I've always felt that when you're in the zone here, you can build momentum, and the crowd gets behind you, and you can just keep it going.' Tyrrell Hatton moved into tied-seventh with a six-under 66, while Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut after triple-bogeying the final hole of his two-over 74. McIlroy initially held a share of the overnight lead and quickly took control of the tournament after firing three consecutive birdies from the second. Although he briefly lost his solo advantage, McIlroy reclaimed it with a seven-foot birdie at the 12th hole, sparking another birdie charge. He took advantage of the par-five 13th and 15th, just as he did on the opening day, and fired a stunning tee shot to kick-in range at the par-three 16th to move four clear of the pack. McIlroy recovered from an errant drive at the 17th to finish just short of the green, where a sensational 30-yard chip-in pulled him further ahead, before a closing eight-foot birdie capped off a memorable Friday. The lead matches the same halfway advantage McIlroy held at the 2011 US Open, which he went on to win, and every player this century who held a 36-hole buffer of six or more shots has gone on to win. 'I desperately wanted to win here so I could come back each year, and thankfully I was able to do that last year,' McIlroy added. 'So, doing that, when I miss fairways, it's fine. When I miss greens, it's fine. I feel like I'm sort of playing with the house's money, which is a nice feeling to have. If I can just keep thinking well and making good decisions with whatever is put in front of me, and really just keep putting one foot in front of the other - hopefully do that for the weekend and everything works out.' Only 19 of the 54 players who made it through to the weekend are under-par at the halfway stage, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler on level-par - and 12 off the pace - after a two-over 74. Can McIlroy defend his title at The Masters? Watch the opening major of the year exclusively live on Sky Sports.