Masters Round 2 Recap: Sensational Spieth makes history while contenders align

Jordan Spieth fell short of attaining a Masters record Thursday.

On Friday, he didn't.

Spieth was out on the course early and scored often, rewriting the 36-hole Masters record with a second-round 66 for a 130-stroke tournament total. He authored six birdies on zero bogeys and is perched atop the leaderboard at 14-under, five strokes up on the field.

It was another symphony for the 21-year-old Texan, but, with 36 holes to play under the microscope, he doesn't have anything but a tournament to lose.

In the afternoon, a stable of talented, experienced and long contenders began their ascent in hopes of a Spieth slip.

Leading the horses was Dustin Johnson, who set a Masters record with three eagles in his second round. He used booming drives and precision on the green to pull within six strokes before finishing at 7-under. His 67 was a stroke off the low round despite two bogeys and a double.

First off the tee on Thursday, Charley Hoffman played himself into Saturday's final pairing with his second sub-70 round. He is five shots back, and alone in second place.

Also impressing was four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods, who suffered just a single bogey during a steady, pain-free round of 69. Despite being 12 shots back, Tiger admitted he was proud of his performance - as he should be.

And finally, Phil.

Mickelson provided a back-nine surge late in the afternoon, birdieing five of his final 11 holes to earn sole possession of sixth place at 6-under.

Rory McIlroy, though, failed to threaten. He answered birdies with bogeys and a double with an eagle, scratching down only seven second-round pars and needing to rally with a birdie-birdie finish to match his opening-round 71.

He will move on into the weekend, but a 12-stroke deficit, even for the best in the world, would appear to be a task far too tall considering the state of Spieth's game.

They say experience is compulsory at Augusta, and they're right. But the extent isn't so clear-cut. 

Because even the worst of Spieth's six career rounds at Augusta National Golf Club - scored twice - could be enough for him to rewrite more history.

Youngest since Tiger.

Leaderboard

Notables

Bubba Watson: The defending champion will be there on Sunday, but will be hard-pressed to factor into the top of the leaderboard. Bubba posted a 34 on the back to match his opening-round 71 and turn in 2-under for the tournament.

Justin Rose: It took four holes for Rose to give back the strokes he gained Thursday, but the 2013 U.S. Open champion rallied to stay in contention. He birdied six of his last 14 and will play in the penultimate pair with Johnson.

Ernie Els: It didn't come as easy Friday, but he hung tough. Els answered his two bogeys around Amen Corner to finish the round at even par.

Jason Day: He made noise Thursday, providing the indication he could challenge Spieth, but fell hard in the second round. He finished with a 2-over 74, dropping 10 spots into a tie for 12th.

Shot(s) of the Round

Patrick Reed provided some Tiger-esque magic on the 18th green:

And Thongchai Jaidee put on a spin class:

Tweet of the Round

This was nice.