Two rounds of the Masters are complete, and it’s a star-studded leaderboard.
Veteran Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, leads the event at 8-under par. Bryson DeChambeau, the reigning U.S. Open champion sits one shot behind, while Rory McIlroy is two strokes behind.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is three behind Rose, and other contenders include Corey Conners (6 under), Shane Lowry (5 under), Tyrell Hatton (5 under), Viktor Hovland (4 under) and Collin Morikawa (3 under), among others. Here’s the full top five of the leaderboard after two rounds:
1. Justin Rose, -8
2. Bryson DeChambeau, -7
T3. Rory McIlroy, -6
T3. Corey Conners, -6
T5. Scottie Scheffler, -5
T5. Tyrell Hatton, -5
T5. Shane Lowry, -5
T5. Matt McCarty, -5
It’s McIlroy who now sits as the betting favorite at FanDuel after a bounce-back 66. He was 4-under par through 14 holes Thursday before a pair of double bogeys threatened to derail his entire week. He responded with the best round of all 95 competitors Friday, making four birdies, an eagle and zero bogeys.
“I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday, and you know, I wasn’t going to let two — you know, two bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week,” McIlroy said.
Masters odds after Round 2 (via FanDuel)
- Rory McIlroy, +330
- Scottie Scheffler, +360
- Bryson DeChambeau, +360
- Justin Rose, +750
- Corey Conners, +1200
- Shane Lowry, +1600
- Tyrell Hatton, +2000
- Collin Morikawa, +2500
- Ludvig Aberg, +3000
- Viktor Hovland, +3000
- Jason Day, +4000
- Hideki Matsuyama, +5000
- Xander Schauffele, +5500
The top of the oddsboard features many of the same names as before the tournament started. McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau, Morikawa and Schauffele are all still in the mix. The five golfers have all won at least two major championships, and they entered the tournament in elite form.
Saturday’s Round 3 tee times:
9:50 a.m. – Tom Kim
10:00 a.m. – Joaquín Niemann, Jordan Spieth
10:10 a.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Max Greyserman
10:20 a.m. – Danny Willett, J. T. Poston
10:30 a.m. – Jon Rahm, Zach Johnson
10:40 a.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Akshay Bhatia
10:50 a.m. – Denny McCarthy, J.J. Spaun
11:10 a.m. – Maverick McNealy, Charl Schwartzel
11:20 a.m. – Brian Campbell, Byeong Hun An
11:30 a.m. – Aaron Rai, Justin Thomas
11:40 a.m. – Sahith Theegala, Davis Thompson
11:50 a.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark
12:00 p.m. – Nick Taylor, Daniel Berger
12:10 p.m. – Tom Hoge, Max Homa
12:30 p.m. – Harris English, Min Woo Lee
12:40 p.m. – Sam Burns, Nicolas Echavarria
12:50 p.m. – Brian Harman, Bubba Watson
1:00 p.m. – Davis Riley, Michael Kim
1:10 p.m. – Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood
1:20 p.m. – Patrick Reed, Collin Morikawa
1:30 p.m. – Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama
1:50 p.m. – Jason Day, Sungjae Im
2:00 p.m. – Rasmus Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland
2:10 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton
2:20 p.m. – Matt McCarty, Shane Lowry
2:30 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Corey Conners
2:40 p.m. – Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau
The final round can be viewed on Paramount+ from noon to 2 p.m. At 2 p.m., the broadcast switches to CBS until the third round concludes.
We put together a Masters top 25 before the tournament. Through two rounds, here’s an updated top-five power ranking with 36 holes left before a champion is crowned.
Masters power rankings after two rounds
5. Shane Lowry
A major winner, Lowry has also played on the last two European Ryder Cup teams. He’s won seven times as a professional compared with just a pair of wins for Corey Conners. Lowry seemingly loves the spotlight, and he’s gained strokes on the field in all major categories this week. He’s poised to contend this weekend.
“This is what we practice for,” Lowry said. “This is what you get up out of bed in the morning, for late tee times on Saturdays and Sundays of majors. I got myself a late tee time tomorrow afternoon and hopefully I can go out and do something pretty good and get myself a late tee time Sunday and take it from there.”
4. Justin Rose
Rose leads the event, which keeps him inside the top five. Unfortunately, he’s losing strokes off the tee and is by far the best in the field on the greens this week. Typically, it’s much easier to sustain elite ball-striking than putting over the course of a 72-hole tournament. Look for Rose to fade slightly this weekend, unless he can be more consistent off the tee and with his irons. It’s unlikely his red-hot putting lasts a full four days.
3. Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, won last year’s event. Can he repeat as champion? He’s in prime position entering Round 2. Scheffler made four bogeys on his second nine Friday, but three birdies helped offset those lost strokes. He’s been the best player in the world over the past year, and his course history at Augusta National suggests he could eventually end his career as one of the most successful Masters participants ever.
2. Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau does little wrong, and he’s been exquisite in every facet this week. He leads the field in strokes gained around the green, and he’s gained strokes over the field in all major categories, per Data Golf. A two-time major champion and fan-favorite, DeChambeau won’t be afraid of the major stage.
1. Rory McIlroy
He’s playing as well as anyone in the world, and he’s gained 3.6 shots tee-to-green this week, per Data Golf. That’s the third-best mark of anyone in the field. His ball-striking should translate over the weekend, and if a few important putts drop, he has as good a chance as anyone of ending the week with the green jacket.
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.
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