By Rory Carroll
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 11 (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy will look to tighten his grip on the Green Jacket in Saturday’s third round of the Masters after taking a commanding six-shot lead nL1N40T0EP into a sun-drenched Augusta National.
The Northern Irishman followed his opening-round brilliance with another sparkling performance on Friday, using a birdie burst on the second nine holes to reach 12 under par. Americans Sam Burns and Patrick Reed were tied for second at six under.
McIlroy has been playing with greater freedom this year after finally winning the Masters 12 months ago to complete the career Grand Slam and shed the burden of expectation.
But Augusta has been the scene of past heartbreak for the 36-year-old, and the memories have not entirely faded.
He will play in the final pairing with Burns on Saturday when the Georgia sun is expected to bake the course and leave Augusta National’s notoriously slick, sloping greens even firmer.
England’s Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood plus Ireland’s Shane Lowry were tied for fourth at the year’s first major.
McIlroy has the opportunity to join the three players who have retained a Masters title – Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
The winner will walk away with a Green Jacket and a check for $4.5 million out of a total prize purse of $22.5 million.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Augusta, Georgia; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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