Woods stirs but McIlroy still in control

Golf:Rory McIlroy will play a third round with Jason Day on Saturday after the Australian put in the best round of the 2011 US Masters so far to move to within two of the Irish leader at Augusta. He could well have gone close to Day's 64 had his putting not abandoned him on the back nine but a 69 for a 10-under-par total is not to be sniffed at after he opened with a 65 yesterday.

The Ulsterman’s lead was threatened earlier in the day by YE Yang and then his fellow South Korean KJ Choi but both lost momentum after the turn, though they remain a danger on five and seven under respectively.

Geoff Ogilvy and joint-overnight leader Alvaro Quiros separate the two on six under, while Rickie Fowler, who also played with the leader, is five under after a 69 and has Fred Couples (68), Ricky Barnes (71) and Yang (72) for company.

McIlroy’s iron play was exquisite and repeatedly left him with opportunities after he reached the turn in 33 - thanks to birdies at two, five and nine - but he only took his chance on the 13th and that came immediately after his first bogey of the week.

McIlroy wasn’t too concerned with the missed chances on the way in and welcomed “another solid day”, adding on Sky Sports: “I feel as if everything is working really well.”

On another chance to play with rookie Day, he said: “Even though this is the Masters we’re just going to go out there and have a good time.

Ready to win a major?

“Of course.”

Day barely put a foot wrong, registering eight birdies, five on the way in, but there were ominous noises coming from a sleeping giant behind them, that might make for a restless night for both youngsters.

Tiger Woods mixed two birdies with two bogeys in the first six to be one under and when he three-putted the seventh for another dropped shot he was in 36th place - only the top 44, plus anyone within 10 of the lead, make the cut - but he chipped to five feet at eight and made a nine-footer on the next before a birdie at the 10th.

Three more followed at 13, 14 and 15, leaving him six under going up the last.

Pádraig Harringtonmissed the cut after he finished with a double-bogey for a 72. Coupled with yesterday's 77, it meant the Dubliner was five over after 36 holes. Graeme McDowellgave himself a chance with an eagle on 13 to move to two over, but he bogeyed the 17th and his tournament was all but over as well.

England's Luke Donald and Ross Fisher are four under and defending champion Phil Mickelson is only two under after a frustrating 72.

Donald equalled the lowest round of his Masters career with a 68. After recovering from three over par after 10 holes to open with a level par 72 Donald said: "I'm in a good position.

"I think I've played enough here to know you can get on some runs and fortunately that happened. I didn't make a great start, but I certainly didn't panic."

As for McIlroy being in the lead Donald added: "It's early days. The weekend's only going to get tougher."

Mickelson's chances of a successful defence and a fourth green jacket in eight years were hit by three bogeys in four holes from the third.

In typical fashion the tournament favourite, a winner in Houston on Sunday, then birdied three of the next four, but he bogeyed the 11th after failing to find the green for the second day in a row and missed out on birdie chances at the 13th and 15th, Augusta's two par fives on the inward half.

"I left too many shots out there. I had six up and downs that were not hard and I didn't make them," Mickelson said. "Fortunately I am not in that bad a position and I can get back in it, but I can't afford this weekend to leave those shots out there.

"These next two days are my favourite two days of the year and you can make up a lot of ground."

Ian Poulter made a 10-foot birdie putt on the last for a 69 that lifted him from two over to one under, but dropping four shots in the last four holes of his opening 74 had left him with a mountain to climb.

Paul Casey was two under after a 72 and Justin Rose (71) had a chance of making it through after playing the last six in four under. He eagled the 13th and birdied the 14th and 16th.

Ross Fisher added a 71 to his initial 69, while Scots Martin Laird was level par after 14 and US Open champion Graeme McDowell, partnering Woods again, stood one over.

Sandy Lyle's 80 saw him crash out on nine over, while Ian Woosnam, who nearly pulled out before the start because of hip trouble, had 77 for 11 over.