Day two at The Masters 2026 brought more shifting fortunes at Augusta National, with players trying to build on Thursday’s work in conditions that continued to reward patience, precision and a little luck.
Among the early stories was Wyndham Clark, whose birdie attempt at the sixth looked briefly as though it might drop. The putt tracked straight before breaking slightly to the right at the last moment and slipping past the hole. It was a near-miss, but Clark stayed on -3 for both his round and the tournament overall.
Clark was no longer alone in red figures for the day. Im Sungjae, who finished second on debut in the November Masters of 2020, picked up birdies at the seventh and eighth to move to +3 overall and into credit for the round. Freddie Couples also found some relief with a birdie at the second, taking him back to +5 after a difficult finish the previous day.
Couples’ opening round had unravelled badly late on, with a quadruple bogey at 15 followed by double bogeys at 16 and 17. Even so, at 66 years old, he remained a crowd favourite and was being watched closely as he tried to regroup in the heat of the afternoon.
Aaron Rai starts steadily
The Par 3 Contest winner Aaron Rai opened his second round in calm fashion. He found Tea Olive in regulation and rolled a long birdie putt that shaved the hole. Rai remained at -1 after his opening 71, a score that had hinted at more after he had gone out in 33 on Thursday.
His start reflected the broader theme of the day at Augusta: good shots were being rewarded, but very few were being handed out. The course continued to demand control on the greens and discipline off the tee, with small margins deciding whether players could gain ground or simply hold position.
Clark’s run ends, but the chance remains
Clark’s run of consecutive birdies ended at five, though he was still in a strong position on the sixth. After a par there, he found the centre of the green with his tee shot at seven and used the Augusta slope to guide the ball toward a front-left pin position. That left him a birdie putt from around 18 feet, on a surface that was not perfectly flat but offered a realistic look.
Even where birdies were not falling, the leaderboard remained active. Players were making moves in both directions as the second round unfolded, and Augusta’s famous demand for precision ensured that every scoring opportunity mattered.
The official leaderboard continued to update as the round progressed, with attention also directed toward wider tournament developments and the ongoing battle to stay in contention heading into the weekend.
This was a day of near misses, measured starts and important recovery shots, all under the familiar pressure that comes with Masters Friday. With plenty of golf still to play, the second round at Augusta National was shaping up as another test of nerve as much as skill.
