A rejuvenated Brooks Koepka took a three-shot lead into the weekend of the 87th Masters as Jon Rahm hoped the weather would not hinder his pursuit of the four-time major winner.
Koepka added a bogey-free 67 to his opening 65 at Augusta National for a halfway total of 12 under par, the joint-third lowest in tournament history alongside LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.
Rahm had reached nine under par midway through his round when play was suspended for the second time on Friday afternoon as strong winds brought three trees crashing down across the 17th tee.
Remarkably no spectators were hurt in the terrifying incident, but play was later abandoned for the day and scheduled to resume at 8am local time on Saturday, although prolonged spells of rain were forecast.
US Amateur champion Sam Bennett was Koepka’s nearest challenger in the clubhouse on eight under after a second consecutive 68, but Rory McIlroy was set to miss the cut after a hugely disappointing 77 left him five over par.
Tiger Woods remained two over par after 11 holes of his second round, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler four-putted the ninth on his way to a 75 which dropped him 11 shots behind Koepka.
Quote of the day
Asked amateur Sam Bennett why he thinks he can hunt down Brooks Koepka and win this Masters:
"Because I know that my good golf is good enough."
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) April 7, 2023
US Amateur champion Sam Bennett was certainly not lacking confidence after consecutive rounds of 68 on his Masters debut.
Shot of the day
Jason Day chips in on No. 11 to pull into solo second place. #themasters pic.twitter.com/MOYzYBir6I
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2023
Jason Day left himself short-sided on the daunting 11th, but produced a moment of magic to make an unlikely birdie.
Round of the day
14 pars. Three birdies. One eagle. #themasters pic.twitter.com/mrBr6L1j82
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2023
It is never easy following up a low score, yet Koepka did precisely that with a blemish-free 67 to add to his opening 65.
Statistic of the day
Rory McIlroy shoots 77, his worst score in a Masters round since 2016.
2024 will be Rory's 10th Masters start needing it to complete the career grand slam. The five men to win the grand slam each got the last leg in three starts or fewer.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 7, 2023
Bad news for Rory McIlroy after he stumbled to a second round of 77.
Easiest hole (round incomplete)
Leader Brooks Koepka was one of three players to make an eagle on the par-five eighth, which also yielded 42 birdies and played to an average of 4.488.
Hardest hole
Open champion Cameron Smith was the only player to birdie the 495-yard par-four fifth hole, which played a total of 30 over par and an average of 4.349.
Weather forecast
Widespread rain arrives early on Saturday morning and will continue throughout the day, with heavy rainfall likely to occur at times. Rain persists into Saturday night but will gradually diminish to light showers by daybreak on Sunday. Dry conditions finally return on Sunday afternoon, with overcast skies becoming partly sunny during the late afternoon hours.
