Masters forecaddie: Running analysis of Round 2 at Augusta National

Stay tuned throughout the day as theScore updates you with insights and analysis from Round 2 of the Masters.

Day 2 of the Masters is in the books!

Augusta National showed its teeth Thursday but played nearly a stroke easier Friday, allowing the leaderboard to tighten up at the top. Justin Rose leads by one over Bryson DeChambeau, but 15 players are within five of Rose's lead. This tournament is still wide open.

Below was our running analysis and updates throughout the second round. (All times ET.)

7:45 p.m. - Here's where we stand after Round 2:

Here's what we saw out of each of the contenders.

Rose: The Englishman once again relied heavily on his putting to survive in Round 2. He lost 0.43 strokes tee-to-green in Round 2 but gained more than two with his putter. He will have to get his tee-to-green game together if he has any chance of hanging on.

DeChambeau: The top LIV player turned in a near-flawless round. His only bogey came on the 16th after making four bogeys in Round 1. Like Rose, he's going to have to tidy up his approach play if he wants to win, but his combination of power and short game will make him tough to beat.

Rory McIlroy: He's played 34 of 36 holes better than anyone else this week. Unfortunately, McIlroy gave away four shots on two holes in Round 1 to rob him of the 36-hole lead. Still, McIlroy played flawlessly Friday and is the betting favorite to win the tournament.

Scottie Scheffler: It was an uncharacteristic lap around Augusta National for the two-time champion. Scheffler made five bogeys Friday, preventing him from getting closer to the lead. He lost strokes on the greens and off the tee, but you have to expect the No. 1 player in the world will rebound in a big way on moving day.

7:05 p.m. - After an adventurous 18th, in which he was forced to pitch out sideways from the trees, Scottie Scheffler caps his 1-under round with his fifth bogey of the day.

6:50 p.m. - With the cut locked at 2-over, its victims are finalized. Dustin Johnson, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Cam Smith, and Phil Mickelson are among the notables to miss the cut. Tony Finau remains in a battle but needs to find a birdie on one of the final two holes.

6:10 p.m. - Goodbye, Lefty. Phil Mickelson's attempt at making the cut will likely come up short after playing Nos. 15 and 16 at 3-over par. Mickelson had been playing well on LIV entering his 32nd Masters but appears to be headed toward his fourth career missed cut at Augusta.

6:05 p.m. - Corey Conners posts a 2-under 70 to get to 6-under for the tournament. The Canadian reverted to his usual form in Round 2, gaining over two shots with his approach play while losing nearly a stroke on the greens.

5:50 p.m. - Fred Couples can't get it done, either. The 65-year-old bogeys his final hole to finish at 4-over for the tournament. Couples remains the oldest player to ever make the cut. He set the record back in 2023.

5:25 p.m. - Bernhard Langer bogeys his final hole to fall to 3-over, likely ending his historic run at the Masters. The 67-year-old is making his 41st and final Masters appearance. He's a two-time green jacket winner.

5:00 p.m. - All you can do is laugh. After making back-to-back birdies to open his back nine and drop to 4-under, Scottie Scheffler hits it long at No. 12 but catches a break as his ball rolls out of the trees. He then proceeds to chip in for a birdie, ending a round that was heading in the wrong direction with some more Scottie magic.

4:30 p.m. - Oddsboard update after Scheffler makes his second bogey of the day on No. 10, dropping to 5-under for the tournament. The wind is really starting to pick up at Augusta.

4:25 p.m. - We are officially on cut watch for two popular seniors. Langer doubles the par-5 15th to fall to 2-over for the tournament. He'll need to play the final three in at least even par to make the weekend. Couples is also at 2-over with four holes remaining.

3:55 p.m. - Jon Rahm rolls in a 10-footer on 18 that will likely secure himself a weekend tee time. Mickelson and Keegan Bradley are sitting on the projected 2-over cut as they head to the back nine.

3:25 p.m. - Rory McIlroy bounces back from an awful end to Thursday's round with a 6-under 66 in Round 2. He's two behind clubhouse leader Justin Rose, who heads into the weekend at 8-under. With the morning wave coming to an end, our attention turns to the cutline and the betting favorite, Scottie Scheffler, who just made his first bogey on No. 7 to drop to 5-under.

2:50 p.m. - We've already seen fireworks on the 18th hole around the cutline. Assuming 2-over holds, Patrick Cantlay made a clutch birdie to get to 2-over, Russell Henley bogeyed his final hole to drop to 3-over, and Brooks Koepka made a quadruple-bogey eight that will send him home early.

2:30 p.m. - Viktor Hovland birdies four straight on the back nine to vault up the leaderboard. He sits at 6-under for the tournament, two shots behind Justin Rose's clubhouse lead. Hovland's odds have shortened drastically from +5000 earlier in the round to +1600.

2:10 p.m. - The cut is projected to be 2-over. DataGolf.com gives 2-over a 78.8% likelihood. Notables battling to make the cut, along with their current scores, are: Jon Rahm (+2), Will Zalatoris (+2), Russell Henley (+2), Phil Mickelson (+2), Patrick Cantlay (+3), and Tony Finau (+3).

2:00 p.m. - Oddsboard update after McIlroy's eagle on the par-5 13th gets him to 5-under for the tournament:

1:30 p.m. - Things are happening! Rory McIlroy opens his back nine with back-to-back birdies to get within six; Bryson DeChambeau pulls off an all-world up-and-down on No. 10 to remain at 7-under; Justin Rose regains his two-shot lead after a birdie on the par-3 16th; and Scottie Scheffler just began his second round.

12:50 p.m. - McIlroy makes his second birdie of the day at the par-4 10th. He's been extremely steady Friday but didn't do enough damage on the front nine to get back in the mix. With it looking unlikely that the leaders slow down, McIlroy will likely need to play the remainder of the back nine at 2-under at least to set himself up for Saturday.

12:45 p.m. - DeChambeau is the new betting favorite to win the Masters. He birdies the par-5 eighth to get within two of Justin Rose, moving his odds to +280 on theScore Bet/ESPN Bet.

12:35 p.m. - He's well back, but Xander Schauffele puts together a special 3-under front nine. He had six birdie looks from within 15 feet, which he converted only three of. The two-time major winner climbs into a tie for 11th but is still seven shots behind leader Rose.

12:10 p.m. - The first nine at Augusta is currently playing 0.3 strokes under par, much easier than yesterday when it finished at 0.37 shots over par. Rasmus Hojgaard has the lowest round of the day going at 4-under, with Bryson DeChambeau, Matt McCarty, and Sungjae Im all at 3-under in Round 2. Make your birdies early and hang on.

Noon - While players are making moves early, Rahm continues to be stuck in the mud. He's even through six holes and failed to birdie the par-5 second. The most likely cut is 3-over, according to Data Golf, so Rahm needs to maintain his current position.

11:30 a.m. - Bryson from the bunker! DeChambeau shows off his bunker game with a hole-out birdie on No. 4. He moves to 2-under on the day, three strokes behind Rose, who makes the turn at 8-under for the tournament. Ludvig Aberg is at 5-under with DeChambeau, while Matt Fitzpatrick (-3), Im (-3), and Viktor Hovland (-2) all make early moves up the leaderboard.

10:45 a.m. - The wind gusts are expected to exceed 20 mph at Augusta this afternoon, according to the broadcast. Players on the course now have to take advantage of the benign conditions. Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy are among the 17 players in red numbers. Rose remains at 7-under for the tournament.

10:30 a.m. - The morning wave's featured groups are all on the course, and so far, Augusta is playing very comparable to Thursday. The par-5 second is playing nearly a half stroke under par and is a hole chasers must birdie if they want to chip away at Rose's lead.

9:00 a.m. - Round 2 play is already underway, with the featured groups starting to tee off closer to 10 a.m.

Rose: The first-round leader has a three-shot lead, but there's still plenty of golf to be played. Rose gained 5.27 strokes putting in Round 1, which is unsustainable. He'll need to be better tee-to-green if he's to maintain his lead.

Schauffele: A winner of two majors last season, Schauffele had an up-and-down day in Round 1. He made five birdies, but six bogeys kept him in the black. If he can tidy up the mistakes, he'll have a good chance to track down the leaders.

McIlroy: He was in complete control yesterday until a terrible chip on the par-5 15th led to a double-bogey. McIlroy carded another double on No. 17 to destroy the fantastic round he had played through 14 holes. Getting off to a clean start in Round 2 through Augusta's easier holes could quickly get him back in the mix.

Aberg: While McIlroy was in reverse, his playing partner, Aberg, climbed up the leaderboard. Aberg birdied four of his final seven holes to grab a share of second. He's one of Scottie Scheffler's true contenders at the top of the leaderboard.

DeChambeau: He made seven birdies in Round 1, but four bogeys kept his round in check. DeChambeau started hot at last year's Masters with a 65, but followed it up with three rounds over par. How he navigates Augusta on Day 2 could make or break his chances for a green jacket.

Rahm: He spent most of Round 1 visibly angry while struggling his way around Augusta. Sitting at 3-over par, Rahm needs a solid second round if he plans to play the weekend.