The Masters: McIlroy shines, Jon Rahm escapes defeat.

A spectacular point by McIlroy. Source: The Masters

Johm Rahm entered the second round of The Masters 2026 with two special supporters. One cheered him on in person, the other via text message. Two tennis giants who love golf : Rafa Nadal at Augusta and Carlos Alcaraz playing in Monte Carlo.

Rahm did not let his teammates down in his efforts to make the cut, although Nadal only watched and cheered him on from the 15th hole, the crucial moment when the Basque golfer fought to stay in the game.

The "curse" is broken: Rahm recovers two strokes, finishes at +4, and qualifies for the weekend.

In the first round, Rahm shot a 78 (+6), his worst round in the tournament's history, and for the first time left the course without a single birdie.

It wasn't until the 20th hole of the tournament that Rahm got his first birdie – on the par-5 second hole – as if he'd finally woken himself up. He created more opportunities on holes 3 and 4, and then capitalized on hole 5 with a long putt.

But Augusta quickly closed the door. Weak shots on holes 8 and 9 cost him bogeys, ending the first nine holes in frustration.

McIlroy The Masters 2026 round 2.jpg — McIlroy made an impressive breakthrough in the second round. Photo: The Masters

At the forefront is the whirlwind named Rory McIlroy . The defending champion finished at -12, six strokes ahead of Sam Burns and Patrick Reed.

This is a record after 36 holes at the Augusta major. He also finished 7 strokes ahead of Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Tommy Fleetwood.

McIlroy made a big impact with a round of -7, finishing with a devastating performance: 4 birdies on the last 4 holes, and 6 birdies on the last 7 holes.

Having completed last year's Grand Slam, McIlroy is now aiming to defend his Masters title.

In the journey to defend the green jacket, only three icons have ever succeeded: Jack Nicklaus (1964-1965), Nick Faldo (1989-1990), and Tiger Woods (2001-2002).

Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler has yet to rediscover his form from last season. He is currently at par, making it very difficult for him to compete for the championship.

Among the contenders for the championship, Bryson DeChambeau was disappointing with a score of +6. The " scientist " was eliminated after a triple bogey on the 18th hole.

Nadal, the tennis legend with 22 Grand Slam titles, shared his experience playing golf at Augusta: “You only truly appreciate the difficulty of the course when you see it in person. Playing here is a dream come true. Even just watching is a unique experience.”