Historic US Masters: Rory McIlroy storms to the top with a record lead

Rory McIlroy seems to have finally made peace with Augusta National Golf Club. After his emotional victory last year, the Northern Irishman is now dominating the 2026 US Masters in a way that is silencing even the legends. With an impressive round of 65 (-7) on Friday, the defending champion moved to a total of 12 under Par and set a new 36-hole record in the history of the tournament with a six-shot lead.

Here you can find the leaderboard of the US Masters 2026.

The paradox of dominance

The amazing thing about McIlroy's record-breaking run: he dominated not through perfection, but through pure enjoyment of the game and saves. Although he didn't hit a single Fairway on the Par 5 holes on the first two days (0 out of 8), he played these strategically important holes a total of seven under par.

The turning point of the round came in the "Golden Hour" late on Friday afternoon. After imprecise tee shots on the 13th and 15th, he saved himself with pure creativity to make Birdies. The highlight came on 17, when McIlroy sank a chip from almost 30 yards directly into the hole and sent the patron crowds into ecstasy. "I definitely found a sense of 'flow' in those last few holes," McIlroy later summed up. "My mantra today was: 'Just keep swinging, swing hard', even if I didn't hit the Fairways."

The hunters: hope for "concrete"

Behind the leader, a top-class chasing pack has formed, which must hope for a collapse of the leader. Patrick Reed and Sam Burns share second place on 6 under Par. A European phalanx of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood (-5) lurk directly behind them.

Justin Rose (45) in particular exudes a stoic calm. The Englishman, who only lost to McIlroy in last year's play-off, is relying on experience and the increasingly difficult course conditions. The greens in Augusta are getting drier and faster due to the heat - Wyndham Clark has already predicted that they will feel like "concrete" at the weekend. "You have to be prepared to win, but you also have to be prepared to be on the wrong side of the result," Rose told reporters philosophically.

Drama over cut at the US Masters: Scheffler's streak snaps

While McIlroy made history, world number one Scottie Scheffler suffered a major setback. After 11 consecutive rounds under Par in Augusta, his streak was snapped with a 74 (+2). Two water balls at the 13th and 15th holes cost him the lead. Seven shots behind McIlroy, the two-time champion now needs a "miracle at Augusta" to get into contention for the Green Jacket.

Bryson DeChambeau was hit even harder. The "Mad Scientist" only needed a Bogey on the last hole to make it into the weekend, but produced a disastrous triple bogey after a trip into the sand and missed the cut by two shots.

The prophecy of the old master

However, the most impressive performance of the day came from Fred Couples. The 1992 winner, who missed the cut himself, observed McIlroy's game closely on Thursday and Friday and came to an almost frightening conclusion: "Rory may never lose this thing again after last year," said Couples. "He could seriously win five more of these tournaments."

Whether McIlroy lives up to these high expectations will be decided on "Moving Day". One thing is clear: the defending champion has his foot firmly on the gas pedal and seems determined to become only the fourth player in history (after Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods) to defend his title at Augusta.