What a day for Rory McIlroy eh.

The reigning Masters champion found a different gear coming down the stretch with six birdies in seven holes to establish a record six-shot lead after 36 holes.

We will be back later today long before the five-time major champion gets his third round under way at 19:50 BST.

We shall see you all then.

Just a little something here to keep you all going from Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.

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Masters leader and reigning champion Rory McIlroy, speaking to ESPN: "I always have felt like if you keep your patience and make smart decision around this golf course the course will reward you with chances and you can get on these runs. I think about my first five holes on Saturday last year where I was five under through five. You just need to get a good feel of what you are doing. If I start to drive the ball well, even though I drove it better than yesterday, giving myself chances with wedges and I've made a lot of birdies with wedges, which is great.

On the chip-in birdie on the 17th hole: I could just see over the crest and I could see everyone in the grandstand start to stand up.

"I knew when it came off I hit it pretty perfectly. It went in at a pretty good speed. That's a bonus. I hit it in the trees, at least I had a gap and could hit it somewhere around the green where i felt I could get it up and down and obviously it was a bonus it went in. It was an amazing end to the round and when I was standing on the 12th tee I didn't imagine I would be six ahead going into the weekend.

" My short game this week has been so good but I think that's a result of spending a lot of time up here the last three weeks. I felt like I was part of the furniture but all those rounds I played with the chipping and putting has paid off.

"I know what can happen around here. Good and bad. You don't have to remind me not to get ahead of myself around this place. We reset, and everybody goes back to even par tomorrow."

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More from Rory McIlroy, speaking after shooting a seven-under 65 in the second round fo the Masters: "I just want to go out and play two good rounds again. Obviously this golf course has certain characteristics that guys can get on runs, guys can make eagles, you hear roars all over the golf course.

"I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself. It's hard to avoid those big leaderboards out there, but like I know that I've got a lead. So I don't need to keep checking it all the time. So for me, just really focusing on myself and staying in my own little world out there is the best thing."

On people focusing less on his game in the build up: "I don't follow the coverage as closely as I maybe used to. Not really. I guess it's understandable. I haven't played in three weeks. The last time everyone saw me, I was struggling with a bit of a back injury. It's understandable if I wasn't in the forefront of everyone's minds coming in here from a playing perspective.

"I think the advice, like the advice from Jack [Nicklaus] or like even last year, I talked about Jack and Gary [Player] and Tom [Watson were up here after their ceremonial tee shots, and they all picked me to win. I mean, that's nice, but that is not helpful.

"Freddie [Couples] saying that is not helpful. But Jack telling me not to make double bogeys, that's helpful. It's really nice either way. It's nice that Jack feels a close relationship with me that he wants to help in some way, and it's nice that Freddie believes in me so much. I guess it's still all noise. They're lovely words, and it's nice to hear these things, but it means nothing when you step on the 1st tee because you just have to stand up and hit the shots and make the putts."

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Reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, speaking after establishing the biggest ever lead after two rounds of the tournament:

"Look, I've built up a nice cushion at this point. I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.

"There's so many different ways to skin a cat. I've shot 12-under par for the first two rounds here. I've played well, I've hit good shots, but it hasn't all been amazing. I've relied on my short game when I've needed it, and I've certainly hit enough good wedges into those par-fives to build the score that I have."

On dealing with such a big advantage: "I'll probably try to keep my mind off of it. That distraction is usually a good thing for me, especially with a late tee time and the lead. Yeah, there's actually two really good semi-finals at Monte Carlo in the tennis. So I'll watch that. I think it's Sinner and Zverev and Vacherot and Alcaraz.

"So I'll watch those. We've been watching the tennis early in the mornings. So I'll do that. And then hopefully spend some time with Poppy. I think we're about halfway through 'Zootopia 2.'"

The Masters has the smallest field of all four men’s Majors, with just 91 players getting under way on Thursday.

And that's been shredded further with 54 progressing into the weekend.

But there are several big names to miss the cut including:

• D Willett +5
• JJ Spaun +5
• A Bhatia +6
• B DeChambeau: +6
• C Smith: +7
• R MacIntyre: +7

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The 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, speaking after signing for his second successive 69: "The worst part and the thing that frustrated me most is I hit every golf shot how I wanted to. On 18 you're having to get up and down, and then hit the putt where I wanted to and just doesn't go in.

"Things like that happen around here. In golf in general. Felt like I gave myself some really good opportunities. Didn't make quite as many putts as I felt like I wanted to.

"At the same time, giving yourself chances and also making some crucial putts to keep the momentum and getting balls up and down throughout the round I felt like was huge. Any time I sit there and shoot back-to-back 69s or anything in the 60s on Thursday, Friday in Augusta, you're happy.

"Just need to go out there and continue giving myself opportunities, allowing myself to let the putter work, and hopefully have a chance late Sunday. Have to wait and see what the weekend entails. At the same time I love the position I put myself in. Hopefully I can go out and have a good day tomorrow and have a good shot going into Sunday."

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England's Tommy Fleetwood speaking after shooting a four-under 68 in the second round: "Eight was the first eagle I've ever made. I had a hole-in-one on 16, but apart from that, I've never made an eagle on a par-five or a par-four hole, so that was my first.

"That was a good one, because I just felt like I didn't play great at the start of the round, and then I felt like I played five, six, seven really well, and then eight was a perfect opportunity to hit a good drive. Just felt like it was a chance to get something going. Eagle was a bonus. Like a birdie would have got me under par.

"Started great, and then 15, yeah, 15, good drive. Finno [Ian Finnis] kind of did the rest there. I would have probably not got the club right with the second one, and then he read the putt higher than I would have hit it as well. So it was mostly Finn on 15.

"I guess it [winning a major] probably is the next step. Of course, I know it took me a long time to win in America. I always felt I've had a chance at majors as well in the past. I did say I sort of take things sort of in the present moment, and I think last year for as good as the year was, my majors were disappointing to me.

"I felt like I didn't contend in any majors, and I didn't particularly play great. So that was something that I wanted to look at this year. I've had a good start. I've had two good days, but there's a long way to go. There's six more in this tournament, and then there's three more majors."

Rory McIlroy clearly followed Jack Nicklaus' advice about double bogeys (that is avoiding them) today but remarkably he is 90th out of 91 players in driving accuracy.

Golf eh!

This was a special moment from Rory McIlroy and it even had NBA great LeBron James, external marvelling at it on X.

Only two men have ever had a larger 36-hole lead than the one Rory McIlroy has established here, at any of the majors since the Masters began in 1934

Henry Cotton, was nine shots ahead at the 1934 Open and Brooks Koepka, was seven shots clear at the 2019 US PGA Championship.

At the 2025 Masters, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose were tied at 11 under after 72 holes.

A year on from his first triumph at Augusta National, the Northern Irishman is at 12 under at the halfway stage.

Does a sixth major title beckon?

The 36-year-old is very much playing like the McIlroy that won the US PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014, the US Open in 2011 and The Open in 2014.

Trish Johnson
Former Europe Solheim Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

Rory's not stupid. He knows there were a lot of errors in there today even thought it was a sensational round. You can't chip and putt like that for two more days.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

My mind is going to US Open in 2011 when he won by eight shots and US PGA in 2012 when he won by eight shots and he's playing like that here again.

Prior to today the largest lead at the Masters after 36 holes had been five shots:

• Harry Cooper (139), 1936 (2nd)
• Herman Keiser (137), 1946 (winner)
• Jack Nicklaus (135), 1975 (winner)
• Raymond Floyd (131), 1976 (winner)
• Jordan Spieth (130), 2015 (winner)
• Scottie Scheffler (136), 2022 (winner)

Rory McIlroy (132) in 2026 is breaking new ground.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

He started the week with a mighty fine dinner and he might have to think about organising another one.

Trish Johnson
Former Europe Solheim Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

An hour ago this tournament was anybody's but that was one of the most sensational hours of golf I've ever seen. He has one hand on the trophy.

Rory McIlroy takes a good look at his birdie putt on 18.

He takes his time. One look, two looks.

In it goes! A 65 and a six-shot lead for the defending champion.

Just a truly epic back-nine showing from McIlroy.

Cameron Young's birdie try doesn't drop but that's a 67 for the American, a hugely impressive fightback after a trying Thursday.

US Amateur champion Mason Howell, 18, is heading home after a tough Augusta debut. He may well be back in the future.

A 307-yard drive leaves the leader with 146 in at the last.

We've seen plenty of approaches threatening the flag today with what is a fairly attractive pin position.

Does Rory have one more good swing in him today? Yes he does! He sends it straight over the top of the flag and feeds it back down.

That's about five feet for a SIX-shot lead.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

Spare a thought for Tommy Fleetwood. Not long ago he was one off the lead, he's now six back in the blink of an eye.