12.52pm
And we’re off!
Samuel Stevens and Sungjae Im are safely off the tee to get the second round rolling, almost exactly 12 hours since the first round finished.
12.47pm
McIlroy feels he’s cracked Masters code — so can he go back to back?
A year ago, when he had finally won the Masters and completed the grand slam, Rory McIlroy thought his career was complete (Owen Slot writes). His message, here was quite the opposite. McIlroy insists he isn’t done yet.
12.32pm
My day at Amen Corner
If anywhere provides an antidote to the drunken bile of the 2025 Ryder Cup, and further proof there is ample drama inside the ropes without the need for military flyovers or swearing emcees, it is Amen Corner (Tom Kershaw writes).
A small army of hushed patrons, who could easily be mistaken for birdwatchers given the number of binoculars, flocked to the grandstand overlooking the 11th green and the 12th tee long before the first groups reached the most tranquil of torture chambers.
Kylie Cooper/reuters
12.20pm
The real Augusta: beyond the pristine course, a deprived and divided city
On Sunday, Augusta will become a tale of two cities. Up at the golf club, the year will reach its zenith and a new hero will emerge from a Southern Gothic scene to mark his brilliance surrounded by billionaires and bucket-list smiles (Rick Broadbent writes).
And a few miles away down in the parking lot at the James Brown Arena, Mike Garrison and his team of volunteers will park their shower trailers and clothes truck. Golf will always have a home here, but others are not so lucky.
12.09pm
Behind the scenes at Augusta National — a video game brought to life
What is it actually like to be at golf’s holy land? Though the tournament’s rules — no phones, no running, and a strict dress code to name a few — may seem archaic, they are all designed to put you in the moment and preserve the sense that stepping into Augusta is like stepping back in time.
Tom Kershaw takes his first journey into one of sport’s most iconic venues.
Mike Segar/Reuters
12.02pm
Twenty seconds at the Masters
11.55am
Thursday photos
Ashley Landis/ap
kylie Cooper/reuters
kylie Cooper/reuters
Brian Snyder/reuters
Mike Segar/reuters
11.51am
Second-round hole locations
11.43am
Another rollercoaster round for Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy pretty much picked up where he left off 12 months ago (Owen Slot writes). Here was a very typically idiosyncratic exhibition. It was slalom golf where you could never tell where he was going to stick his drive and then how he was going to perform the next escapology act.
PETTER ARVIDSON/BILDBYRAN/Shutterstock
The route McIlroy takes to the pin doesn’t matter. What matters is that when he finished he was peering down at the field from atop the leaderboard. The attempt to go back to back is on, even if it does entail going a bit left to right and then a bit right to left in the process.
11.36am
Relive McIlroy’s first round
11.27am
Where to watch the Masters on TV
Sky Sports holds the exclusive broadcast rights in the UK. Coverage will begin at 2pm this afternoon on Sky Sports Main Event.
11.18am
Everything you need to know
Let Angus Oliver do the hard work for you with his one-stop shop for everything you need to know at Augusta today. Tee times, players to watch and a guide to the perils of Amen Corner — it’s all here.
David J. Phillip/ap
11.00am
Good morning
Hello and welcome to the Times’ live coverage of the second round of the 2026 Masters from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It was a rollicking first day out there, with Rory McIlroy putting himself in the box seat after an excellent first round of 67 gave him a share of the overnight lead alongside Sam Burns at five-under.
It was a less positive day for Bob MacIntyre, though, whose temper got the better of him as he signed for an 80. After twice finding the water on the 15th and making a nine he gave the finger to the hole. On the next, he slammed his club and turned the air blue with some colourful language. He may well expect a reprimand today.