World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and third-ranked Justin Thomas shared the second-round clubhouse lead Friday at the Masters with two unexpected contenders, Australian Cameron Smith and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer.
As rain-softened Augusta National surrendered unprecedented success, Thomas closed with back-to-back birdies to shoot a three-under 69 and US compatriot Johnson birdied his final hole to shoot 70 and join the lead pack on nine-under-par 135.
“I like my position going into the weekend,” Johnson said. “Conditions are going to stay relatively the same. You are going to have to stay aggressive. You have to keep shooting well.”
Smith closed with an eagle and three birdies to shoot 68 while Ancer, trying to become the first debut Masters winner in 41 years, birdied two of his last four holes to fire 67.
“It was a very up and down round, a little bit scrappy,” Smith said. “But hung in there and at the end, it was brilliant.”
Im Sung-jae, a 22-year-old South Korean also making his Masters debut, fired a 70 to share fifth with American Patrick Cantlay on 136.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, seeking a green jacket to complete a career Grand Slam, completed a 75 in the storm-hit first round Friday, then rebounded with a bogey-free 66 to revive his chances.
Defending champion Tiger Woods, who matched his best-ever Masters start with a 68, was on level par for the second round after 10 holes, sharing 22nd place as he chases a 16th major title and sixth Masters victory.