The second round of the Masters wrapped up on Friday, with Justin Rose narrowly holding onto the lead he entered the day with. He has Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau right behind him going into the weekend.
Here are some takeaways from Friday's second-round action.
Rory McIlroy bounces back
Every year at the Masters seems like a replay for McIlroy. It usually begins with a terrible Thursday that puts him into a hole and is following by a gradual progression back up the leaderboard just in time for him to fall agonizingly short by Sunday.
After a meltdown finish on Thursday, McIlroy had a stellar showing on Friday that saw him shoot a 66 to climb back up to third-place on the leaderboard.
He enters the weekend two shots back of leader Rose (8-under) and one shot back of DeChambeau in the second-place spot.
While McIlroy has had some truly dreadful opening rounds in Augusta, he has still had his share of bounce-back rounds.
Friday was one of those.
Rory McIlroy bounces back with a six-under 66 in Round 2, marking the sixth time he's shot 66 or better at #themasters
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 11, 2025
That's tied with Jordan Spieth and Jack Nicklaus for the second most rounds of 66 or better in tournament history. Only Tiger Woods has more (8). pic.twitter.com/A35xrzGNSX
Bryson DeChambeau has his own history on his side
When DeChambeau starts a major the way he started this year's Masters, it generally has a positive ending for him.
He followed up his opening-round 69 with a 68 on Friday, leaving him 7-under and just one stroke off the lead.
He has started three previous majors with back-to-back rounds in the 60s. He won two of them and finished second in the other.
Bryson DeChambeau has started 3 majors in his career with consecutive rounds in the 60s:
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 11, 2025
2020 U.S. Open - Won
2024 PGA - 2nd
2024 U.S. Open - Won
Professional golfers: They're just like you
Sometimes, anyway.
Pros: They're just like us pic.twitter.com/7cQ6jdRSra
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 11, 2025
That is, in large part, how Cameron Young missed the cut at this year's tournament.
After shooting a 72 on Thursday, he followed it up with a 79 that was low-lighted by that sequence.
He was not able to just tap it in.
Bernhard Langer exits the Masters
Bernhard Langer, the two-time Masters champion, narrowly missed the cut by one stroke on Friday and left Augusta National for the last time.
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer walks off the 18th at Augusta National for the final time pic.twitter.com/69e1cchhaG
— ESPN (@espn) April 11, 2025
Langer made his first appearance at the Masters in 1982, won it in 1985 and 1993, and was one of the top golfers in the world during the 1980s and 1990s.
He had a similar look.
Bernhard Langer, then and now ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bV8NpMkQQD
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 11, 2025
Nick Dunlap was unwilling to give up no matter what
Even though it did not result in him making the cut, you have to admire the way Dunlap rebounded from a historically bad day on Thursday.
After shooting a 90 in the opening round, he shaved 19 strokes off his performance in the second round to shoot a 71.
He still finished the first two rounds 17-over, and he was never going to have a chance to do anything on Friday that would get him through to the weekend, but you still have to respect the bounce-back round.
"I think a lot of people would have maybe backed out, maybe not. Certainly I wanted to at times. I know that ... I'm never going to quit. I'm always going to show up."
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 11, 2025
Nick Dunlap gave it his all today despite a tough start to the tournament. All class. pic.twitter.com/4WoKxK7Q5i
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!