'When The Ball Was In The Air, I Was Like 'You Idiot, What Did You Do?'' - Rory McIlroy Happy To Ride Luck In Impressive Masters Fightback

Rory McIlroy's quest for the career Grand Slam is alive and well once again thanks to a superb bogey-free six-under 66 at The Masters on Friday.

McIlroy's first round was shaping up wonderfully before a late meltdown undid all of his good work on Thursday.

While it looked as though the Northern Irishman's wait for a first Masters title would have to wait for at least one more year, McIlroy recalibrated overnight and came out with a renewed sense of vigour in round two.

The four-time Major winner was patient and disciplined on the front nine before letting loose and tearing up Augusta National's back nine as he vaulted up the leaderboard at a rate that would have sent fear coursing through the veins of his rivals.

A steady one-under front half set the ideal foundations for McIlroy, allowing him to play the aggressive cavalier golf that is his trademark.

Not that it all arrived in his lap, though. The 35-year-old was forced to save par on a number of occasions before making birdie at 10 and 11.

But then at 13, McIlroy produced a moment which could yet define his week at Augusta. Unable to draw his drive around the corner at the par-5, McIlroy was faced with a daunting second shot from the pine straw at the top of the hill.

Stuck between clubs, McIlroy and his caddie, Harry Diamond opted for the longer of the two irons - a wise decision as he punched his ball to nine feet before converting the eagle. The roars which resulted were reminiscent of those usually reserved for Sunday.

Describing the moment which perhaps best summed up a slightly fortunate but decisive second round, McIlroy said: "Yeah, I only had -- I think it was like 189 front. So, I don't think it was really a decision to go for it or not, but I was between a 4-iron and a 5-iron.

"Usually the ball comes out spinnier out of the pine straw. So I hit a 4-iron, and the follow-through, definitely I saved it, and I was glad that I hit 4-iron. I covered that little corner there.

"But yeah, when the ball was in the air, I was like, you idiot, what did you do? It's one of those ones, as well, it's a pin that even if you do hit it into the hazard, it's a pretty -- not a routine up-and-down, but it's a little easier than, say, where the pin was yesterday in that front section.

"Yeah, I rode my luck a little bit with that second shot, but was nice to take advantage of it."

And take advantage he did as McIlroy moved to four-under for the day, staying there via another exquisite strike out of the pine straw on 14. Keen to avoid the bad luck of Thursday, the Northern Irishman played a safe approach to the par-5 15th before sending a sublime putt across the green for a relatively stress-free birdie.

Continuing his contrasting finish to the previous day, McIlroy safely navigated the final three holes to sit just two strokes behind current leader, Justin Rose.

Summing up his response to a tough ending on Thursday and how he bounced back in a style so often witnessed by his fans, McIlroy said: "I think overall just proud of myself with how I responded today after the finish last night.

"I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday, and you know, I wasn't going to let two -- you know, two bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week. But yeah, just ultimately, yeah, just proud of how I got back into it today."

The only two blemishes in McIlroy's opening round occurred via double-bogeys at the 15th and 17th holes, but they were particularly damaging given the 35-year-old was afforded very little time to respond.

McIlroy went on to reveal that he had spoken to renowned golf psychologist, Dr Bob Rotella before teeing off in round two - a conversation which ultimately played its part in McIlroy recording his sixth bogey-free round at The Masters, the most of any player over the past 30 years.

He said: "Once I left the property last night, I just sort of tried to leave what had happened here. I rushed out of here to get home to see [daughter] Poppy before she went to bed. So that was sort of nice to get to see her before she went to sleep.

"Yeah, I guess that's something that I didn't have a few years ago, to be able to get home and have that sort of, you know, take my mind off the golf a little bit.

"But yeah, I feel like I just did a good job of resetting. I had a good conversation with Bob Rotella this morning, mostly around not pushing too hard too early and trying to get those shots back straightaway.

"And you can sort of see how I started today with eight pars and a birdie on the front nine. I just tried to stay really, really patient. I feel like that patience was rewarded with a nice little stretch there in the middle of the round."

McIlroy's six-under total left him two strokes behind leader, Rose and one behind Bryson DeChambeau in second. The Englishman followed up his seven-under 65 on Thursday with a battling 71 on Friday while the LIV golfer backed up a first-round 69 with a strong 68.