Second-round action continued at Augusta National on day two of The Masters, with the leaderboard beginning to take shape as players tried to build momentum on a demanding course.
Wyndham Clark remained firmly in contention after making another birdie look possible at the sixth, only for the ball to drift away at the last moment. The putt looked as though it had the line, but it slid just enough to the right before reaching the cup. Clark stayed at three under for the round and for the tournament overall.
He was no longer the only player in the field producing red numbers for the day. Im Sungjae, who finished second on debut in the November Masters of 2020, birdied the seventh and eighth holes to move under par for his round. That left him at three over overall. Freddie Couples also found some relief with a birdie at the second to move to five over, a welcome change after a difficult finish to his opening round.
Couples’ opening day had unravelled badly late on, with a quadruple bogey, followed by two double bogeys at the 15th, 16th and 17th. Even so, the 66-year-old still earned sympathy for fading in the late-afternoon heat at Augusta.
Aaron Rai starts steadily
The Par 3 Contest winner Aaron Rai made a composed start to his second round. He found Tea Olive in regulation and then sent a long birdie attempt just past the hole. Rai remained at one under after an opening 71, a score that suggested more might have been available after he went out in 33 on Thursday.
His opening stretch was watched closely as he looked to maintain the form that carried him through the first round. On a course where small margins matter, Rai’s steady beginning gave him a solid platform for the rest of the day.
Clark keeps the pressure on
Clark’s strong run of consecutive birdies came to an end at five, but he still produced a composed response. A par at the next hole kept him moving in the right direction, and he then found the centre of the green at the sixth. Using the slope, he brought his ball down toward the front-left pin position and set up another useful birdie chance.
The putt was around 18 feet, and while it was not perfectly straight, it offered a good look at another gain. At Augusta, where putting lines can be deceptive and pace is everything, Clark remained in a strong position as he tried to apply pressure early in the round.
With Rory McIlroy also under way, attention continued to build around the early starters as the second round unfolded. As always on Masters Friday, the leaderboard was likely to keep shifting throughout the afternoon, with established contenders and surprise names both trying to stay in touch with the lead.
More updates from Augusta National are expected as the day progresses.
