After setting Masters 36-hole record, only one person can stop Rory McIlroy

Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAYSat, April 11, 2026 at 1:05 AM UTC

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After setting Masters 36-hole record, only one person can stop Rory McIlroy

AUGUSTA, GA — Only one man can stop Rory McIlroy at this Masters. Surely you must see that by now.

The only real threat to McIlroy is a guy who owns a green jacket and talks with a Northern Irish accent.

Only McIlroy can stop McIlroy.

“I know what can happen out here – good and bad,” McIlroy said in a televised interview after he extended his Masters lead with a sizzling finish to Round 2.

So far, so very good for McIlroy.

So, this isn’t over, but the defending champion leads by six strokes at 12-under, the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.

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1 / 0Rory McIlroy holds the lead after Round 2 at Masters. See photos

During the second round at Augusta National, the focus turns to holding position as contenders try to separate themselves heading into the weekend.

These images follow Rory McIlroy as he plays Friday with the lead, navigating the early holes while managing the pressure that comes with being out front at the Masters.

Above, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his third shot on the second hole during the second round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2026, in Augusta, Georgia.

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Good though he’s playing, the pressure heightens on the weekend, and that can melt even the best golfers. His history out here is long enough that there’s been some epic collapses mixed in.

He knows it. You know it. The woman who drove the golf cart to transport me from the press building to the course on Friday knows it.

“He gets in his own way out here,” she cautioned before McIlroy teed off for his second round.

That was true once, twice, but no longer.

McIlroy’s Augusta demons from yesteryear showed up on Sundays, but if he cards another round on moving day like this one, it’ll be over by Sunday.

McIlroy’s putter is winning this thing for him. He had 27 puts in Round 1. Pretty good.

He needed only 24 putts in the encore, helped by his chip-in on No. 17. Even better.

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Get a load of this: McIlroy is lapping the field despite not hitting a fairway with a drive on a single par-5 through the first two days of the tournament.

What do you make of that, Rors?

“I’m becoming a wily old veteran,” McIlroy, 36, said.

Great quote, but I see it differently. He’s that perfect blend of experienced, but still in his prime. He’s played here enough to know “you don’t have to be perfect to make good scores,” as he put it. That’s the wily side.

But, he’s also still ripping it off the tee, averaging more than 334 yards with his drives — even if his bombs on the par-5s are landing somewhere other than the fairway.

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The crowd’s loving this, by the way.

As McIlroy rolled one in on No. 18 for his sixth birdie in his final seven holes, fans leaned over the rope line and extended their palms, hoping Rory would slap them.

He did, of course. He’s feeling this place. He slapped one hand, two hands, three hands, more, more, more, as he exited stage to sign his scorecard.

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We can tell stories of when Augusta National became McIlroy’s house of horrors. That's old news.

Here in present day, this place has become Rory’s play pen.

Should his competitors be intimidated?

Oh, Rory won’t go there. That’s not his game.

“No. No. No. That’s not me. That’s not what I want to do,” McIlroy said.

Forget intimidation then. How about just building an insurmountable lead?

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McIlroy’s six-stroke lead became the new Masters record through two rounds.

McIlroy went birdie-birdie-birdie on Nos. 2 through 4 to get to 8-under, and he got a number in his mind. Get to 10-under on this second round.

He gave a couple of strokes back. Just a light touch of green ink. No disasters. McIlroy successfully heeded Jack Nicklaus' advice to him before the tournament of avoiding bleeping double-bogeys. Can do, Golden Bear. McIlroy's had none of those double-boxes on the scorecard through two days.

McIlroy gave a single stroke back on No. 5 and another on No. 10.

All good. Still in fine shape. Especially once he got close to the greens.

Seven-footer for birdie on No. 12: Good.

Another 7-footer on No. 13: You bet.

Ten-footer on No. 15: No sweat.

Three-footer on No. 16: That’s child’s play.

No. 17, forget the putter, because the wedge took care of that birdie.

Six feet and in for more red ink on No. 18: Folks, he’s not missing.

Then, it was off to slap some hands during a conqueror’s exit, with a six-stroke lead on Sam Burns and Patrick Reed secure.

Afterward, a reporter would ask McIlroy whether it would be more fun to win this tournament in a close battle, or just continue dominating the field.

“What do you think?” McIlroy mused.

I think McIlroy’s got everyone in this field whipped, so long as he doesn’t beat himself.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rory McIlroy sets Masters record for 36 holes. Can anyone beat him?

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