Rory McIlroy enters day three of The Masters with the biggest lead in the entire history at this stage of the tournament.
McIlroy holds a six-shot lead after 36 holes, having carded rounds of 67 and 65 at Augusta National so far.
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The Northern Irishman, who is looking to defend his green jacket, starts day three of The Masters on 12-under.
McIlroy is followed by Patrick Reed and Sam Burns on six-under, while Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are one shot behind that duo on five-under.
According to PGA Tour player Michael Kim, it is only Reed who can really pose a threat to another McIlroy success at Augusta.
Michael Kim says Patrick Reed might challenge Rory McIlroy at The Masters
Kim, who played at The Masters this year but missed the cut, was asked on X if he thinks McIlroy will run away with the tournament on Saturday.
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The one-time PGA Tour winner replied: “If he figures his driver out at all it’s game over.
“P Reed might be the only guy that might challenge him.
“He has one hand on the trophy already.
“Playing with a big lead is really stressful but he has experience with that too.
“I think it gets kinda close but he pulls away Sunday.”
Just like McIlroy, Reed boasts one title at The Masters, claiming his only major win to date with a one-shot win over Rickie Fowler in 2018.
But momentum is firmly with the defending champion, who has adopted a remarkable approach with his driver this week.
He ranks behind only Chris Gotterup for driving distance after rounds one and two, but second-last in terms of his driving accuracy.
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It is a strategy that has worked wonders thus far, with McIlroy’s expert chipping and knowledge of Augusta among the factors evidently helping him enjoy a healthy lead.
Photo by Kohjiro Kinno/Augusta National/Getty Images
Michael Kim predicts green speed increase at Augusta
McIlroy has also shone with the putter this week, while many of his rivals have struggled with the firm greens.
And according to Kim, who finished on eight-over after two rounds, they are only going to get faster across the weekend.
Reacting to the hole locations for round three, he wrote on X: “Some tough pins today.
“9, 11, 13, 16, 18 prob the hardest pins on their respective greens.
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“I bet the speed is ramped up too.
“2 and 8 are pretty simple.”
And when asked how much Augusta can change the green speed overnight, he replied simply: “A lot.”
It will be intriguing to see how the players deal with green speeds on Saturday, and indeed the many tricky new pin positions.
But on another very positive note for the leader, McIlroy ranks second for putting this week, while Reed is close behind in fourth.
Read more:
Justin Rose shares what is so unusual about Augusta National this year
Smylie Kaufman says what Rory McIlroy needs to do after opening up a six-shot lead at The Masters
Rory McIlroy reacts to what Freddie Couples said about him during The Masters
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