San Francisco Frontiers - McIlroy's Masterpiece remains the buzz at Augusta

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland birdied six of the last seven holes, including the final four, to seize command on Friday as rivals struggled to find words worthy of the spectacular feat.

"Rory played great, made the most of pretty much everything he could out there and that's what it takes to be beating the field by six," world number three Cameron Young said after playing alongside McIlroy.

Defending champion McIlroy fired a seven-under par 65 to stand on 12-under 132 halfway into the year's first major tournament, where he hopes to match Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back winners of the green jacket.

"Rory may never lose this thing again," 1992 Masters winner Fred Couples said on Thursday after McIlroy shared the lead on 67.

Second-ranked McIlroy solved Amen Corner's formidable par-three 12th and par-five 13th holes for birdies, then closed with a 29-yard chip in at 17 and a six-foot putt at 18 for epic Masters history.

Americans Patrick Reed and Sam Burns shared second on six-under 138 entering the third round with Irishman Shane Lowry and England's Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood seven adrift on 139.

McIlroy will try to solidify his grip on the green jacket when he tees off alongside Burns in Saturday's final pairing at 2:50 p.m. (1850 GMT), 11 minutes after Rose and Reed get started.

"I have to go out there with the same free, trusting mindset I have the first two days," McIlroy said.

The five-time major champion has yet to find a fairway on a par-five hole but has played them in seven-under, delivering a masterclass of iron shotmaking and precision putting on one of golf's greatest stages.

"I haven't panicked when I've hit it off course and into the trees," McIlroy said. "When I was in the trees I didn't mind.

"I sort of feel like I'm playing with the house's money, which is a nice place to be."

McIlroy, who ranks second in driving distance at 334.2 yards and putts with only 51, has kept his composure despite finding only 13-of-28 fairways through two rounds -- ranking last among 54 players who made the cut in driving accuracy but also ranking second in scrambling percentage.

- McIlroy loves Augusta -

After ending a 10-year major win drought last year with an emotional Masters victory to complete a career Grand Slam, McIlroy has made himself to man to beat for a rare repeat.

"I've always loved this course and this tournament even when I felt it didn't love me back," McIlroy said.

Only two 36-hole leads in major golf history were greater than what McIlroy delivered, the record nine-stroke margin by Henry Cotton at the 1934 British Open and Brooks Koepka's seven-stroke edge at the 2019 PGA Championship.

McIlroy's 10th career major round of 65 or lower matched a record shared by Woods and Dustin Johnson.

Woods owns the 54-hole Masters record lead of nine strokes from his first major triumph in 1997, won by a Masters record 12 shots.

The Masters 54-hole scoring record is 200 by Jordan Spieth in 2015 and matched by Johnson in 2020.

P.Thomas--SFF