Rory McIlroy's day ended on a disappointing note this evening in Augusta as he made five on the 18th to finish his round one over-par.
Heading into the weekend, he will continue his search for an elusive Grand Slam and will start his third round five shots off leaders Charlie Hoffman and Sergio Garcia.
"It was another day where you really had to battle, make a lot of pars and pick up the odd birdie" he told Sky Sports after his round.
"I mixed a few bogeys with a few birdies out there. The shot at the last looked as though it was going to be a tap-in birdie. Then I go and make five.
"I sort of got two bad breaks there with hitting the pin and the wind sort of caught me out as well. These things happen, I just have to go out and birdie the first tomorrow and it'll all be forgotten."
He added: "I feel like I can put a run of 31 or 32 together over the weekend and hopefully try get a bit closer to the leaders."
Entering the day on level par, McIlroy picked up three birdies, three bogeys and three pars on the opening nine.
Into the back nine and trying adapted to the conditions, McIlroy struggled to deal with the wind and picked up a bogey on 12.
His birdie on 17 looked as though it would leave him with a chance to go into the weekend four off the lead. On 18, McIlroy pitched toward the hole and his shot hit off the pin, trailing 30 yards from the hole.
His pitch onto the green was good, but a misjudgment in his putt saw him pick up a late bogey to finish his round one over-par.
Rory McIlroy sits five shots off the lead heading into the weekend. Image: David Goldman/AP/Press Association Images
Shane Lowry, meanwhile, had an afternoon to forget at Augusta National. Like McIlroy, Lowry entered the second round on level par.
His round got off to a bad start with bogeys on 1 and 3, before a run of four bogeys in five holes from 5 to 9.
The damage finished at 10 when he double-bogeyed to leave him on eight over-par. He slightly reduced the damage on 13 with a birdie and attempted to make his way back inside the projected cut-line.
The Offaly native could only manage five pars to finish his round and closed out with a score of seven over-par, one shot shy of the projected cut.
Hoffman was the man to watch yesterday as he carded a seven under-par 65, but his round of 75 today takes him to a share of the lead with Garcia.
"I got in position in the middle of the round but then didn't make the putts I needed to make," he said after his round.
"Obviously I wasn't going to follow up yesterday's round with another one, I would have been happy to shoot somewhere around par.
"I'm happy with how I've finished. Now I have a chance going into the weekend."
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