Here’s Ewan Murray’s report live from Augusta,That’s it for the blog today,Thanks for reading and join us again for Saturday’s third round,A calm and relaxed Rory McIlroy reflects on his stunning start,Asked to explain it, the defending champions pauses for thought and then hits his stride.

“Um, I don’t know.I was really good with the wedges today.I’ve been really good with my wedges and my short game the past two days.That’s been the bulk of my score.I haven’t panicked when I’ve hit it offline and into trees.

I’ve laid it up.I’ve relied on those wedges and those scoring clubs.“And this course, it enables you to get on runs.I certainly didn’t imagine birdies in six of the last seven, but I’ve always felt like when you’re feeling it around here, you can get momentum and the crowd gets on your side and you can just keep it rolling.And this afternoon was one of those afternoons.

“Look, I’ve always loved this tournament.I’ve always loved this golf course, even when I felt like it didn’t love me back.And look, it’s such a pleasure to be here.It’s a unique tournament.There’s nothing else like this that we play.

“And I so desperately wanted to win here just so I could come back each and every year.And thankfully, I was able to do that last year.So doing that, yeah, when I miss fairways, it’s fine.When I miss greens, it’s fine.I feel like I’m sort of playing with the house’s money, which is a nice feeling to have.

“I did a good job.I hit more fairways today than I did yesterday, so that was good.That was one of my key goals today, was just to try to get it in play a little bit more.And yeah, I think, again, just making good decisions.Really, the way the golf course is playing, you really have to think your way around, creating angles for yourself to hit these third shots into par fives, stuff like that.

“So if I can just keep thinking well and making good decisions with whatever’s put in front of me and really just keep putting one foot in front of the other, hopefully do that for the weekend and hopefully everything works out,”For a player who thrives on confidence more than almost any other golfer, there was always a scenario where Rory McIlroy went back to Augusta and, rid of the demons, left everyone else in his wake,And, so far, that’s the story unfolding,This is the Rory of 2014 when he won the final two majors of the year after winning his first two in 2011 and 2012,It’s not done yet but six shots … wow … that’s a huge lead.

McIlroy in this mood will be incredibly hard to stop.After all those past traumas here and going through the ringer before getting over the line last year, is this Rory saying he’s tamed Augusta National.Or is there a twist coming over the weekend?McIlroy stalks his tickly downhill putt.He’s absolutely on fire right now so there’s no way this is going anywhere but underground.And in it goes, the four-footer completing a round of 7-under 65 which included a sensational run of six birdies in the last seven holes.

He has a commanding six-shot lead over American duo Sam Burns and Patrick Reed.-12: McIlroy -6: Burns, Reed -5: Rose, Lowry, Fleetwood -4: Clark, Hatton, Li, Reitan, Day, YoungAnother way of framing McIlroy’s position is that he’s 11 clear of Scottie Scheffler.Six players have held a five-shot lead at halfway in the Masters and five went on to win.After finding the fairway, Rory goes in to 18 with a 5-iron from 147 yards.His ball catches the slope and runs back to around five feet.

He’s on track to become the first player in history to lead the event by six after 36 holes,Cam Young has played the last four holes in -4 and still lost ground to playing partner McIlroy over that stretch,Remarkable,Young is seven back and in a six-way tie for seventh as he and McIlroy head to the 18th,Let’s recap.

After looking a little wobbly with bogeys at 5 and 10, McIlroy has gone birdie-birdie-par-birdie-birdie-birdie from the 12th,Amazing stuff,My word Rory! McIlroy is in tree trouble down the left at 17 so can only punch one back into the fairway,It’s no easy up and down from short and right of the green but… he chips in for birdie!! Huge roars!!! McIlroy raises the magical wedge to the skies with his left hand and then punches the air with his right,Is this thing over? Rory is walking on water and leads the Masters by a massive five-shot margin.

Up at 18, Bryson DeChambeau is floundering,The two-time US Open champion needs bogey at the par 4 to make the cut but finds himself in sand after three shots,Up and down gets him into the weekend but he splashes out too far right and his ball trickles off the green,The Hail Mary chip-in attempt never has a chance and he takes two more putts to rack up a triple-bogey 7,One of the pre-tournament favourites is heading home.

Young also hits an excellent tee-shot at 16 but the birdie streak ends at four as his six-foot putt somehow turns away from the hole when heading in.Rory holes and is four clear! That’s four birdies in five.Leader Board update!-10: McIlroy (16) -6: Burns (F), Reed (F) -5: Rose (F), Lowry (F), Fleetwood (F) -4: Clark (F), Hatton (F), Li (F), Reitan (F), Day (F), Young (16)Rory is on the charge! At the par-3 16th, his tee-shot is just left enough to avoid staying up on the top shelf.His ball unsticks itself from the green after the shock of impact, slowly gathers momentum and then accelerates down the slope to a couple of feet away.And that’s going to be a dramatic swing.

Reed bogeys the last for a 69 after, surprisingly for him, failing to get up and down and when Rory knocks that in, the defending champ will be four clear! Fleetwood also bogeys 18 to fall back alongside Ryder Cup teammates Rose and Lowry at -5.At 15, it’s a putting masterclass from McIlroy and Young.Young’s second bounds over the putting surface and, mindful of chipping back towards a green with water on the other side, he plays a careful third.No matter, he curls in the putt from just inside 25 feet for a fourth straight birdie and he’s up to -4.McIlroy follows him in from 12 feet and Rory pulls two clear again at the top, hitting 9-under.

A new fifth paragraph to Ewan Murray’s Robert MacIntyre story.“Augusta officials are likely to take a dim view of a MacIntyre social media post on Friday evening, which depicted an AI-generated image of himself as the iconic Masters gnome making an offensive gesture.”Patrick Reed has missed several good opportunities for further gains on the second nine but he walks in his birdie putt from 14 feet at 17 to move within a shot of the lead.And look out for Shane Lowry all of a sudden.The 2019 Open champion has been hanging around on the fringes but he birdies 16 and 18 to sign for a well-played 69 that puts him at 5-under and in a tie for fifth.

While the back nine has been a disaster for Bhatia, Cam Young is showing that Augusta’s inward half also offers plenty of birdie chances.Although he bogeyed 10, the Sawgrass winner has birdied 12, 13 and 14.He’s down the right of the fairway at the par-5 15th but will be plotting a fourth straight gain as he strolls down the fairway to reach his ball.Young, who was +4 after nine holes of this Masters, is now -3 and tied 12th.Talking of swings in momentum, the aforementioned Bhatia now holes his bunker shot at 17 to breathe new life into his fast-vanishing hopes of making the cut.

Left-handers have a strong record at Augusta (Mike Weir, Bubba, Mickelson) and Akshay Bhatia was fancied by some to produce another win for the southpaws this week.He was going nicely after a three-under 33 on the front nine took him to 2-under.But his second nine has been a disaster: double bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey, par, par, bogey.That’s seven shots gone in no time and suddenly he’s outside the cut line at +5.Fleetwood is putting down the Cresta Run at 16 after leaving his tee-shot up top.

There’s no chance of leaving his first putt short but he somehow doesn’t let it escape too far beyond the cup and holes the one back for a sturdy, well-made par,Augusta also shows off its extreme slopes at 14 as McIlroy’s approach isn’t near enough to the left flag and skittles off and away like a startled rabbit down the green,But he hits a super lag putt to kick-in distance and remains at -8, two clear,A sprint finish from Sam Burns and the American suddenly takes the lead in the clubhouse at -6 after birdies at 15, 17 and 18,That’s a superb recovery after he took six swipes at 13 to go 2-over for the day.

The American had a piece of the lead after both 36 and 54 holes at last June’s US Open before getting unlucky with the weather and finishing seventh.He’s got another shot at a first major title this weekend.More crystal for Tommy Fleetwood! After an eagle at 8, he makes his second of the day at 15 after curling in a right-to-lefter from 16 feet.That elevates the Englishman to tied second and just one back.For now at least.

Back on the other par 5 at 13, Cam Young cashes in on his lucky break to get up and down for birdie.That’s the Players Championship winner up to -2 and tied 15th.Can Rory follow him in for birdie? He can! McIlroy has an aura of calm about him again, his movements slowed down.Once more, Rory has increased his lead back to two shots.Cameron Young’s second to 13 bounces on the edge of the green and looks a certainly to roll off into Rae’s Creek.

But in echoes of Fred Couples at 12 in 1992 his ball somehow clings on,Had the mower been set a quarter-of-an-inch shorter and that would have been a watery grave,Young realises and does a double fist celebration back down the fairway,Meanwhile, playing partner McIlroy ignores the oohs and aahs and hits a beautiful approach with his third and now has a good chance to make birdie,At 13, McIlroy stands in the pine straw and peeks through the trees.

He’s not going to pull a Mickelson from 2010 though and just bunts one down the fairway,Reed is deeper in the forest at 15 but the branches on the trees at Augusta are high not low so he also finds a way back to the fairway with a firm punch,Fleetwood does have the chance to go for the green in two at 15 and launches a heart-in-the-mouth fairway wood high into the Augusta skies,It’s just got enough to hold the front edge although needs a “stay there” from Butch Harmon in commentary to stop rolling back disobediently,Problems for the two leaders.

McIlroy can’t get his tee shot at 13 to turn and blocks it deep into the trees,Reed, meanwhile, duckhooks his drive at 15 into all sorts of trouble,Both are par 5s I guess,Reitan also finds trouble at the last and signs off with a bogey,Still, that’s an excellent round of 68 for the Norwegian and, as it stands, he’s in a tie for fifth halfway through his first Masters.

McIlroy strokes in his birdie putt at 12 to put the first circle on his card since the 4th.He leads on his own again although Reed has a birdie chance up at the 14th after a fine approach to a back-left flag.He can’t make it though.Leader Board time.-7: McIlroy (12) -6: Reed (14) -5: Rose (F), Reitan (17), Day (14) -4: Clark (F), Hatton (F), Li (F), Burns (16), Fleetwood (14) -3: Gotterup (F), Koepka (F), Griffin (F), Lowry (15)Rory now playing 12, Golden Bell