Rory McIlroy is battling to win his second Masters title as other top names react to missing the cut at Augusta National
Rory McIlroy is edging closer to becoming only the fourth golfer to retain the Masters. The 36-year-old is aiming to emulate Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods by defending his title at Augusta National.
The reigning champion began Friday as a joint-leader with Sam Burns and enjoyed a remarkable second round. McIlroy scored an astonishing seven-under-par to take a sizeable six-shot lead at the halfway point.
While there could be plenty of twists and turns to come, the five-time major winner will have his eyes fixed on the prize. Golf legend Nicklaus is one of only three players to win the Masters in back-to-back years and provided McIlroy with some key advice.
The midway point marked the end of the Masters for several top names, including Robert MacIntyre, who missed the cut. Here, Mirror Sport rounds up some of the sport’s biggest headlines.
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Rory McIlroy faces backlash
Before the tournament got underway, McIlroy had the honour of hosting the Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday. However, he has received backlash for his comments about Irish food.
READ MORE: The Masters 2026: Bryson DeChambeau and SIX ex-champions among 11 big names to miss cutREAD MORE: Rory McIlroy’s rivals have all said the same thing about Masters star’s behaviour on courseWhen asked about his menu, he told reporters: “People keep asking me, ‘Why didn’t you go more Irish?’ And I said, ‘Because I want to enjoy the dinner as well.’”
The Irish Independent collated rebuttals from several culinary figures. These included TV chef and food stylist Erica Drum, whose food suggestions to McIlroy included Irish beef, fish, potatoes and cheeses,
“He didn’t need to do that,” Drum said of McIlroy’s comments. “I feel like he just hasn’t experienced good food.”
Jack Nicklaus advice
As McIlroy looks to write his name into the history books, he has shared the advice he received from Jack Nicklaus. The six-time Masters champion defended his title in 1966 and told McIlroy how to repeat his feat.
In an interview with CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis, McIlroy relayed Nicklaus’ message: “No f–ing double bogeys. Apparently, he thought I made too many last year.”
McIlroy ultimately earned the Green Jacket with a play-off victory over Justin Rose. However, Nicklaus, 86, predicted that McIlroy would make fewer mistakes after returning to Augusta as a champion.
“When he won the Masters here last year, he now doesn’t have anything more to accomplish. He won the Grand Slam, won all the majors. But he’s got a lot more to prove. He’s still a young guy,” Nicklaus said after Balionis’ interview with McIlroy.
“He’s a great player. The remark I made to him yesterday was that Rory always makes double bogeys or triple bogeys here, which puts him out of the tournament. But maybe now that you’ve won it, he’s a little bit more relaxed and he’s now ready to go prove a little bit more.”
Robert MacIntyre responds to exit
Some pundits had tipped Scottish Robert MacIntyre as a possible contender ahead of the Masters. However, he failed to make the cut after finishing on seven-over.
The 29-year-old had previously caused a stir during his opening round after cameras caught him making a middle-finger gesture in the direction of the 15th green. Augusta National is renowned for its strict code of conduct, which applies to both players and spectators, and MacIntyre was reportedly reprimanded for his behaviour.
Upon exiting the tournament, he posted a picture of a garden gnome giving a middle finger gesture on his Instagram story. The image also served as a reference to the Masters gnomes, highly sought-after collectables at Augusta.
Watch The Masters with Sky’s Ultimate TV bundle
Coverage of The Masters gets underway on April 6 and golf fans can watch it live with Sky’s Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle. This includes 135 channels, nine from Sky Sports, plus HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu.
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