The second round of The Masters 2026 continued at Augusta National on Friday, with a number of early storylines developing as players tried to position themselves for the weekend.
Wyndham Clark remained one of the most prominent names on the course. His birdie putt at the sixth looked destined to drop after rolling straight toward the cup, but it drifted slightly to the right at the last moment and stayed out. Even so, he stayed at three under for both the round and the tournament. Clark’s strong run of birdies came to an end at the fifth hole after five straight successes, but he responded by finding the middle of the green at the sixth and setting up a decent birdie chance from around 18 feet.
That putt was described as not perfectly flat, though as close to level as Augusta National tends to offer. Clark had used the slope effectively to move his tee shot toward a front-left flag, giving himself another opportunity to keep pressure on the leaderboard.
He was no longer the only player posting a red number for the day. Im Sungjae, who finished second on his Masters debut in November 2020, made birdies at the seventh and eighth holes to move into under-par territory for the round. He stood at three over overall. Freddie Couples, meanwhile, improved his score with a birdie at the second hole and moved back to five over. The veteran had endured a difficult stretch on Thursday, when he recorded a quadruple bogey, followed by a double bogey at the 16th and another double bogey at the 17th. Despite that damaging finish, the 66-year-old was still being followed closely as he battled through the heat.
Aaron Rai also began his second round with composure. The Par 3 Contest winner found the fairway at Tea Olive and then produced a long birdie attempt that shaved the hole. He remained at one under after his opening-round 71, a score that could have been better after he turned in 33 on Thursday.
Early momentum and familiar pressure
As is often the case at Augusta, the challenge was not only about making birdies but also about avoiding trouble. The course continued to ask precise questions, with players needing to balance aggression and patience. Clark’s steady play suggested he was handling that pressure well, while Rai’s calm start gave him a solid foundation for the rest of the round.
For Im Sungjae, the first few birdies of the day offered a chance to recover from an opening position that had left him needing to climb the board. His finish in 2020 remains one of the notable early Masters performances in recent years, and he was again showing the sort of control that can make a difference around Augusta National.
Couples’ presence also remained a reminder of how punishing the second nine can be for players of any age. The late-afternoon heat had clearly taken a toll on him during the opening round, but his birdie at the second was a positive sign as he sought to stabilise his tournament.
The second round at Augusta National was still unfolding, with the leaderboard continuing to take shape as players moved through the early holes. Clark’s near-miss at the sixth, Rai’s steady start, Sungjae’s birdie burst and Couples’ fightback all added to a day where small margins were already proving decisive.
More updates were expected as the round progressed.
