Justin Rose is not unfamiliar to being in the pole position. He has led at the Masters in all four rounds. At 44, playing his 20th Masters, he has led or co-led after 18, 36, 54 and even 72 holes but never won the Green Jacket.
Rose, three ahead after 18 holes, is now just one ahead of the fast-talking and the over-energetic Bryson DeChambeau snapping at his heels at the 2025 Masters.
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Right behind them, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and sporting a big smile was Rory McIlroy (66), a day after hiding the disappointment of two doubles in three holes in Round 1 behind his daughter Poppy’s smile.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, bidding to become only the fifth player to take back-to-back Green Jackets, seemed distant with trips into the water, into the trees and the rough, but by the end was lurking not too far back and was only three behind Rose. Bogey-free in the first round, Scheffler provided a rare instance of five bogeys in his second but the six birdies limited the damage.
Rose (71) was 8-under, DeChambeau (68) was 7-under, McIlroy (66) was 6-under and Scheffler (71) was 5-under. The big battle was underway.
The Indian-origin trio, Sahith Theegala (72) and Aaron Rai (74) at T-27 and Akshay Bhatia (76) at T-40 survived the 36-hole cut to ensure action over the weekend. This was despite Theegala finishing bogey-double and Akshay Bhatia finishing bogey-bogey. Rai double bogeyed the eighth and bogeyed the 16th.
This is the first instance of three players of Indian origin featuring in the Masters and all of them making the cut.
When Rose took the lead after the first round, it was the fifth time in his 20 Masters that he held at least a share of the 18-hole lead; in 2004 and 2021 and now again in 2025, he has been on the top after 36 and in 2017, shared the 54-hole lead and then tied after 72 holes with Sergio Garcia. Alas, Rose lost the play-off.
His 81 previous Major appearances have produced 22 Top-10s – that is more than one in four – and his 19 previous starts at Augusta National have brought him two seconds, three Top-5s and a total of six Top-10s. A solid career indeed.
Of winning a Major, Rose said: “I’ll take it anytime. Beggars can’t be choosers. Sometimes, if it happens too early in your career, you’ve got a lot to live up to. I think if it happens now, I would enjoy it probably a lot more as a gift towards the end of your career.”
Rose may not have won in a long time, but has been trending well. Last year, Rose was T-6 close at the PGA and T-2 at the British Open. In six starts this year, he has missed three cuts, but did finish Tied-3 at Pebble Beach and Tied-8 at Palmer Invitational. His answer: “You know, sometimes you've just got to knock on the door.”
It's been 12 years since Rose won his lone Major (2013 US Open), but he is clear in his head about it.
“Twelve years slip by pretty quick,” Rose said. “I feel like there’s been other sorts of great accomplishments in that time. I think winning the Olympic gold medal gave me a lot of satisfaction in that interim period; getting to world No. 1, winning the FedExCup.”
Then there is the Northern Irishman, McIlroy, who won the last of his four Majors 11 years ago. His second round was an evidence of his class and motivation. Shooting a 66 after a 72, he remarked, “I think overall just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night.”
Rose, three ahead after 18 holes, is now just one ahead of the fast-talking and the over-energetic Bryson DeChambeau snapping at his heels at the 2025 Masters.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Right behind them, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and sporting a big smile was Rory McIlroy (66), a day after hiding the disappointment of two doubles in three holes in Round 1 behind his daughter Poppy’s smile.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, bidding to become only the fifth player to take back-to-back Green Jackets, seemed distant with trips into the water, into the trees and the rough, but by the end was lurking not too far back and was only three behind Rose. Bogey-free in the first round, Scheffler provided a rare instance of five bogeys in his second but the six birdies limited the damage.
Rose (71) was 8-under, DeChambeau (68) was 7-under, McIlroy (66) was 6-under and Scheffler (71) was 5-under. The big battle was underway.
The Indian-origin trio, Sahith Theegala (72) and Aaron Rai (74) at T-27 and Akshay Bhatia (76) at T-40 survived the 36-hole cut to ensure action over the weekend. This was despite Theegala finishing bogey-double and Akshay Bhatia finishing bogey-bogey. Rai double bogeyed the eighth and bogeyed the 16th.
This is the first instance of three players of Indian origin featuring in the Masters and all of them making the cut.
When Rose took the lead after the first round, it was the fifth time in his 20 Masters that he held at least a share of the 18-hole lead; in 2004 and 2021 and now again in 2025, he has been on the top after 36 and in 2017, shared the 54-hole lead and then tied after 72 holes with Sergio Garcia. Alas, Rose lost the play-off.
His 81 previous Major appearances have produced 22 Top-10s – that is more than one in four – and his 19 previous starts at Augusta National have brought him two seconds, three Top-5s and a total of six Top-10s. A solid career indeed.
Of winning a Major, Rose said: “I’ll take it anytime. Beggars can’t be choosers. Sometimes, if it happens too early in your career, you’ve got a lot to live up to. I think if it happens now, I would enjoy it probably a lot more as a gift towards the end of your career.”
Rose may not have won in a long time, but has been trending well. Last year, Rose was T-6 close at the PGA and T-2 at the British Open. In six starts this year, he has missed three cuts, but did finish Tied-3 at Pebble Beach and Tied-8 at Palmer Invitational. His answer: “You know, sometimes you've just got to knock on the door.”
It's been 12 years since Rose won his lone Major (2013 US Open), but he is clear in his head about it.
“Twelve years slip by pretty quick,” Rose said. “I feel like there’s been other sorts of great accomplishments in that time. I think winning the Olympic gold medal gave me a lot of satisfaction in that interim period; getting to world No. 1, winning the FedExCup.”
Then there is the Northern Irishman, McIlroy, who won the last of his four Majors 11 years ago. His second round was an evidence of his class and motivation. Shooting a 66 after a 72, he remarked, “I think overall just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night.”
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