The second round of the 2026 Masters at Augusta National began with a mix of pressure, patience and fine margins as several leading names settled into their day on Friday.
Rory McIlroy was under way as the day’s play continued, while the leaderboard remained crowded behind the early pace-setters. Among the most watched players on the course, Wyndham Clark maintained his position at three under after a birdie effort at the sixth narrowly stayed out.
Clark’s putt appeared to have enough pace and line as it tracked toward the hole, but it drifted slightly right at the last moment and slid away. It was a close call, and one that kept him at -3 both for the round and for the tournament. He was no longer the only player in red figures for the day, however, as others began to pick up momentum.
Birdies and recovery shots shape the morning
Im Sungjae, who finished second on debut in the November 2020 Masters, added birdies at the seventh and eighth holes to move into positive territory for the day. He stood at +3 overall after those gains. Freddie Couples also found some early success, birdieing the second hole to move back to +5.
Couples’ overall position still reflected the difficult spell he endured late in the previous round, when he dropped shots at 15, 16 and 17. That stretch included a quadruple bogey, followed by back-to-back double bogeys. Even so, the 66-year-old veteran was still competing at Augusta with the kind of resilience that has long defined his Masters appearances.
Another player making a composed start was Aaron Rai, who won the Par 3 Contest earlier in the week. Rai opened his second round in steady fashion, finding Tea Olive in regulation and rolling a long birdie putt that shaved the edge of the cup. After his opening-round 71, he remained at -1 overall, with his first round still carrying the sense that there was more scoring potential in it after he turned in 33.
Wyndham Clark keeps pressing
Clark’s run of consecutive birdies eventually ended at five, although the sequence still left him well placed. At the sixth hole he found the centre of the green with his tee shot, using the slope to bring the ball closer to a front-left flag. That left him with a birdie chance from around 18 feet.
The putt was not completely straight, but Augusta rarely offers that luxury. Clark remained in a strong position despite the miss, with the course continuing to test even the most confident players. Every movement on the leaderboard carried the possibility of further change as the second round unfolded.
With several players already making moves and others simply trying to avoid damage, the day remained finely balanced. Augusta National continued to reward precision and punish hesitation, and the leaderboard reflected that tension throughout the morning.
As the round developed, the mix of steady starts, near misses and recovery birdies underlined the challenge of Masters golf. Clark stayed in touch, Rai kept his round under control, Sungjae nudged forward, and Couples showed he was still capable of adding moments of quality despite the wear and tear of a difficult back nine the day before.
The second day at Augusta was only just beginning to take shape, but already it had the familiar Masters feel: small swings, sudden momentum and very little margin for error.
