Rory McIlroy celebrates on the 18th hole during the second round as the scoreboard is seen. REUTERS It’s a good thing Augusta National has Rory McIlroy’s jacket dimensions fresh on file because he gained some serious ground on Friday.
The reigning Masters winner holed six birdies on the final seven holes to shoot a 7-under 65 — one stroke off his course record — and reach 12-under in the tournament.
McIlroy is now heavily favored to win the Masters with a price of -280 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Northern Irishman holds a six-shot lead over Patrick Reed and Sam Burns, who shot 3-under and 1-under, respectively.
Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, and Tommy Fleetwood share the second-shortest odds to win the Masters at 18/1.
While Reed’s round garnered attention, it was Fleetwood’s climb to 5-under and T-4 that reflected the most movement on the oddsboard. The “Fairway Jesus” rose up — literally — after eagling the 15th par-5 and turning in a 4-under par 68.
Patrick Reed watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club. AP He was at 6/1 heading onto the 18th tee, but a missed approach shot that led to a bogey inflated his price before McIlroy’s spectacular back nine drifted the margin further.
Justin Rose and Shane Lowry share the fourth position on the leaderboard with Fleetwood after carding 3-under and 2-under, respectively.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was Bryson DeChambeau’s meltdown to miss the cut. The two-time major winner was all over the 18th par-5 and struggled out of the sand before penciling a triple bogey to pack his bags at 6-over.
That marked his second triple bogey of the tournament.
DeChambeau opened with the second-most favorable odds to win outright at 10/1.
Scottie Scheffler lost his first-round momentum and fired a 2-over 74 on the day. He tumbled from T-6 to T-24. The world No. 1 golfer is tied with seven other players at even par.
Scheffler, who won two of the last four green jackets, opened as the +550 Masters favorite for the fourth consecutive year.
Before McIlroy hit the gas pedal, the round of the day belonged to Tyrell Hatton, whose 6-under 66 launched him to T-7 at 4-under in the tournament.
The Englishman with one PGA Tour win is also listed at 60/1.
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
