Day 2 is in the books at Augusta National, and the 2025 Masters leaderboard is still delivering in a big way.
Justin Rose maintained his lead, though his three-shot cushion is now trimmed to one, with Moving Day on the horizon.
What’s in store for Round 2? Here are 5 things to know for Saturday’s third round at the 2025 Masters.
The leader
On Friday, Justin Rose didn’t quite summon the magic of his opening-round 65 from Thursday, but his second-round 71 was enough to maintain a one-shot lead over the field.
It’s the third time Rose has been in this position at the Masters, and the 44-year-old is as ready as he’ll ever be to make another run for his first green jacket.
Justin Rose didn’t take the free money. He wanted something better
“I think my good is good,” he said. “I feel like I’m showing much more quality this year in my game than I have done the last couple years. I’m not worried about my good stuff. It’s just about making the average a little bit better and getting that closer to my good stuff so you can compete week-in, week-out.
“Yeah, I think that the horsepower and the good golf is still good enough.”
Rory’s rebound
On Thursday, Rory McIlroy was four under through 14 holes and charging. Then, disaster, Two doubles in three holes. He signed for a round of even par, and it seemed like this Masters might be yet another disappointment for the four-time major winner.
And then, Friday. McIlroy fired a six-under 66, launching himself into T3 alongside Corey Conners. It was an inspiring turnaround.
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“Just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night,” he said. “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. But yeah, just ultimately, yeah, just proud of how I got back into it today.”
McIlroy trails Rose’s lead by two shots.
The contenders
The 36-hole leaderboard is outstanding. Including Rose, McIlroy and Conners, there are 21 total players within six shots of the lead.
Bryson DeChambeau is one shot back. Matt McCarty, Shane Lowry, Scottie Scheffler, and Tyrrell Hatton are three shots back. Major winners Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Patrick Reed, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele are all within shouting distance.
The gang’s all here! Let’s watch some golf.
A leaderboard surprise
Take a look at that above-mentioned leaderboard and one name stands out: Matt McCarty. Who’s that?
McCarty punched his ticket to the Masters with his maiden PGA Tour victory at the 2024 Black Desert Championship. The 27-year-old is currently ranked 56th in the world, and has two top-25 finishes in 10 events this season.
The Masters marks only the second major championship appearance of his career thus far (he missed the cut in the 2022 U.S. Open), but he proved his mettle with a T20 finish at last month’s Players Championship.
Forty-two early exits
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This year’s Masters cut was two over par, and only 53 of the 95 players in the field managed to earn a weekend tee time. Notables who will be leaving early include former Masters champs Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, as well as betting favorites Sepp Straka, Brooks Koepka and Russell Henley.
Ageless wonders Bernhard Langer and Freddie Couples will also miss the weekend. For Langer, it’s the last time.
