The second round of The Masters 2026 continued at Augusta National with several notable early developments as players looked to build momentum on a course that rarely gives up easy scoring.
Wyndham Clark stayed at three under par for both the round and the tournament after a birdie effort at the sixth hole just missed. His putt appeared to be tracking well before drifting slightly right near the cup, taking the edge off what looked like a genuine chance to make another gain. Even so, Clark remained well placed in the early stages of his round.
Clark also saw his streak of consecutive birdies end at five. He settled for par at the sixth, but he still found a promising position after sending his tee shot safely onto the heart of the green. Using the slope, he shaped the ball toward the front-left pin and left himself a look at birdie from around 18 feet.
Players making moves
Im Sungjae, who finished second on his Masters debut in November 2020, was among those to make progress. Birdies at the seventh and eighth holes moved him into red figures for the day, and he stood at three over par for the tournament overall.
Freddie Couples, meanwhile, added a birdie at the second hole to get back to five over. The veteran’s opening round had been damaged by a difficult stretch at holes 15, 16 and 17 the previous day, when he ran into a quadruple bogey followed by two double bogeys. At 66 years old, he remained in the field and back on course despite the late-round collapse.
A steady start for Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai, the Par 3 Contest winner, began his second round in composed fashion. He found Tea Olive in regulation and rolled a long birdie attempt that shaved the hole. After an opening-round 71, Rai remained one under par overall. His first round had hinted at even more scoring potential after he turned in 33, and he headed into the second day still within touching distance of the leaders.
The early action at Augusta National underlined the familiar balance between opportunity and pressure. Some players were pushing forward with birdies, while others were simply trying to avoid damage as the second round unfolded.
With the leaderboard still taking shape, attention stayed on the golfers making the strongest early moves and on those attempting to recover from difficult stretches. As ever at The Masters, small margins and precise shot-making remained central to the story.
More updates from Augusta National were expected as the round continued.
