Shane Lowry tied-second and Justin Thomas inside the top 10 after a five-under 67; Woods heads into the weekend on one over and Rory McIlroy a further shot back after successive 73s - watch throughout the weekend exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf
Saturday 9 April 2022 12:18, UK
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler continued his remarkable run of form to open up a five-stroke halfway lead at The Masters, as Tiger Woods battled back from a nightmare start to ease into the weekend.
Scheffler, chasing a fourth win in six starts, made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on his way to a five-under 67 at a breezy Augusta National, seeing the American equal the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history.
The 25-year-old mixed seven birdies with two bogeys to build a commanding advantage over a four-way tie for second, with defending champion Hideki Matsuyama joined on three under by overnight leader Sungjae Im, Ireland's Shane Lowry and 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel.
Lowry started the week with a one-over 73 and slipped further behind after missing a five-footer to save par at the first, only to follow birdies at the second and seventh with a superb chip-in from over a bunker at the par-four tenth.
The Irishman then took advantage of the par-five 13th and birdied the 15th to move to four under his round, before holing a 10-footer to save par at the par-three 16th and closing out a blemish-free back nine to stay in touch with the lead.
"It was one of my better rounds of my career," Lowry said. "It was quite tricky out there, quite difficult, and I managed to play some good golf and hole some nice putts at the right times."
Schwartzel rolled back the years to card a three-under 69, a score matched by Matsuyama, with Im also on three under after a final-hole bogey saw him sign for a two-over 74.
Cameron Smith - one of six players who can end the week as world No 1 - birdied two of his last four holes to salvage a two-over 74 and stay within six of the lead, while Justin Thomas raced up the leaderboard and inside the top-10 with a second-round 67.
The 15-time major champion was left in a twoball alongside Joaquin Niemann, following Louis Oosthuizen's withdrawal through injury, with Woods recovering from bogeying four of his opening five holes to salvage a two-over 74 and make it through to the weekend.
Woods, making his first start in a competitive event since November 2020, made a tap-in birdie at the par-five eighth and produced a brilliant approach into the par-four tenth to pick up another shot.
The 46-year-old bounced back from successive bogeys from the 11th to pick up back-to-back birdies over his next two holes, with Woods close to making further inroads over the closing stretch.
Rory McIlroy recovered from dropping three shots in the space of two holes at the start of his back nine to post a second successive 73, leaving him on two over with the likes of world No 2 Jon Rahm and England's Tyrrell Hatton.
2015 champion Jordan Spieth double-bogeyed his final hole to miss the cut on six over alongside four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, while former Open champion Stewart Cink also suffered an early exit despite firing a hole-in-one at the par-three 16th.
Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele was among the other notable names to fail to make it through to the weekend, with Bryson DeChambeau looking in physical discomfort as he struggled to an eight-over 80 that contained only one birdie.
Watch The Masters this weekend exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf, with additional feeds and bonus action during all four rounds available via the red button. Live coverage continues Saturday from 3pm.
