Rory McIlroy withdraws from tournament as he remains in hunt for second Masters title

Callum Vurley
Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:06:36 +0000

Rory McIlroy is on the verge of making history at Augusta National after producing a sensational second round that has left his rivals trailing in his wake.

The Northern Irishman fired a stunning 65 on Friday, catapulting himself to 12-under-par and opening up a massive six-shot advantage over Sam Burns and Patrick Reed.

It's the largest 36-hole lead the Masters has ever seen.

Should McIlroy hold on over the weekend, he would join an elite club as just the fourth player to successfully defend the Green Jacket. Tiger Woods was the last to achieve the feat back in 2002.

Despite standing on the brink of this historic achievement, McIlroy has already confirmed he won't be teeing it up at next week's RBC Heritage in South Carolina.

It's become something of a habit for the 36-year-old, who regularly takes time off following the opening major of the year.

The world number two has only played the Harbour Town event twice in his career, in 2020 and 2024.

Back in 2023, skipping the tournament cost McIlroy a whopping £2.2million in fines under the PGA Tour's rules at the time, which prevented players from missing two signature events in a single season.

McIlroy has been refreshingly honest about why he's taken this approach to his Masters preparation.

"I honestly just don't like the three tournaments leading up to this event," he explained. "I'd rather come up here. I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with Poppy and Erica."

The reigning champion felt those day trips to Augusta were far more valuable than competing in Houston or San Antonio.

He's spent the past three weeks getting to know every inch of the course, practising his short game and playing rounds that took him to unusual spots he'd never normally encounter.

Those hefty fines are now a thing of the past, thankfully. The PGA Tour has since changed its rules, meaning McIlroy can sit out the $20million signature event without any financial penalty this time around.

His decision to skip the RBC Heritage means the world number two will have played just one tournament across a five-week stretch heading into major season.

McIlroy opted out of the Valspar Championship, the Texas Children's Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open in the weeks before Augusta.

It's a strategy that appears to be paying dividends, given his commanding position at the top of the leaderboard.