Tour Confidential: Can anyone catch Rory McIlroy at Augusta?
GOLF.com writers and editors discuss if anyone in the field can catch Rory McIlroy and keep him from a second consecutive green jacket.
Rory McIlroy holds a six-shot lead heading into the weekend. Getty Images Check in to GOLF’s Tour Confidential every Sunday night for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport. This week, with the Masters at Augusta National, we’ll hit one key topic every night.
We are at the halfway point of the 2026 Masters, and everyone is chasing Rory McIlroy . The defending champ poured in six birdies over his final seven holes to close out his second round, posting a seven-under 65 to open up a six-shot lead. Sam Burns and Patrick Reed are tied in second at six under, while the trio of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood sit another shot back.
There are still 36 holes to play, but McIlroy’s six-shot lead at the halfway mark is the largest in Masters history. Can anyone catch him? Sean Zak, senior writer ( @sean_zak ): Absolutely not.
Patrick Reed is playing incredible golf. McIlroy got some incredible breaks. Get them in the final pairing on Sunday and anything is in play.