The second round of the 2026 Masters at Augusta National brought another shifting leaderboard and several early stories as play continued on Friday. Wyndham Clark, Aaron Rai, Im Sungjae and Freddie Couples were among the names making moves as the tournament settled into day two.
Clark, who had already put together a strong run, saw his birdie effort at the sixth green drift just to the right at the last moment. The putt looked as though it would drop, but it kneed out at the cup and left him at three under par both for the round and for the tournament. Even so, he remained in a strong position and was still giving himself chances from the tee and on approach.
His streak of consecutive birdies ended at five, but the par at the sixth still reflected a composed start. Clark found the heart of the green with his tee shot and used the slope to send the ball towards the flag, which was tucked away on the front left. That left him with a birdie opportunity from around 18 feet on a putt that was not perfectly straight, though as close as Augusta offers.
Clark was no longer the only player under par for the round. Im Sungjae, who finished second on his Masters debut in November 2020, made birdies at the seventh and eighth to move into red figures for the day and to three over par overall. Sungjae has long been viewed as a steady performer at Augusta, and his early second-round scoring added to the interest around his position on the board.
Freddie Couples, meanwhile, offered another reminder of his enduring presence at the Masters. The veteran birdied the second hole to return to five over par overall. That brought some relief after the difficult stretch he endured late on Thursday, when he went bogey-quadrupole bogey-double bogey-double bogey from the 15th through the 17th. At 66, Couples remains one of the tournament’s most popular figures, and he continues to draw attention simply by making the weekend field at Augusta look a little more familiar.
A controlled start for Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai, the winner of the Par 3 Contest, began his second round in calm fashion. He found Tea Olive in regulation and then rolled a long birdie putt that narrowly missed. After opening his first round in 33 on the way to a 71, Rai stayed at one under par overall. His Thursday score had hinted at more, and the early signs in round two suggested a composed and measured approach.
The second day at Augusta National is always about positioning, patience and avoiding trouble on a course that punishes small mistakes. With the field jostling on a demanding layout, the early stages of the round showed how quickly momentum can shift, even when players appear to be building something steady.
Clark’s nearly made birdie at the sixth, Sungjae’s pair of gains at seven and eight, Rai’s controlled opening and Couples’ recovery all contributed to a live second round that remained finely balanced. Augusta was offering the usual mix of opportunity and pressure, with players needing both precision and nerve to keep themselves in the picture.
As the day continued, the official leaderboard and the tournament’s live updates remained the best way to track the latest movement at the Masters. Augusta National, as ever, was providing a compelling second-round test with plenty still to unfold.
