Masters 2026: McIlroy and Burns Share the Lead

The second round of the 2026 Masters Tournament is underway at Augusta National Golf Club, with defending champion Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns entering Friday tied atop the leaderboard at 5-under par alongside Kurt Kitayama and Jason Day.

Key Round 2 Developments

Wyndham Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, has delivered an impressive Round 2 performance, posting a 4-under 68 to move into contention. Clark opened with three consecutive birdies from holes 2 through 4, then added two more at the 15th and 16th to offset a single mid-round bogey. Brooks Koepka has also made a charge, birdieing the 2nd and 3rd holes to move into red numbers during his round, eventually reaching 1-under for the tournament.

LIV Golf Stars Struggling

It has been a difficult week for LIV Golf's biggest names at Augusta. Jon Rahm sits at a dreadful 6-over par, while Bryson DeChambeau is at 4-over after a devastating triple-bogey on the back nine during his second round. Justin Rose stands as the best-placed LIV player at 1-under, but the rest of the contingent faces an uphill battle just to make the weekend. Both Rahm and DeChambeau, who entered as pre-tournament favorites, are in serious danger of missing the cut.

McIlroy's Title Defense

Rory McIlroy returns to Augusta as a man unburdened. After completing the career Grand Slam with his dramatic playoff victory last year -- becoming just the sixth player in history and the first since Tiger Woods to achieve the feat -- McIlroy is playing with a freedom that should terrify the rest of the field. He found his rhythm in the middle of Thursday's round and surged to the top of the leaderboard.

Cut Line and Course Conditions

The projected cut line sits at 3-over par, already higher than last year's 2-over mark and expected to rise as the dry conditions at Augusta continue to firm up the course. Only 14 players are currently under par on their second rounds, while 28 are over. The golf ball distance rollback debate continues to hover over proceedings, with the Augusta National chairman stating that "failure is not an option" on the issue.