The China Mail - Two-time champ Scheffler surges up Masters leaderboard

The world number one fired an eagle and five birdies in a seven-under par 65 for a seven-under total of 209.

After starting the day 12 adrift he was just five off the pace when he walked off the 18th green after scrambling for a par to keep his card clean.

Scheffler, who had insisted his two-over second round didn't reflect the quality of his game, came out firing and eagled the par-five second, landing his second shot six feet from the pin.

He rolled in a seven-foot birdie at the seventh, chipped to three feet and made that for a birdie at the par-five eighth and stuck his approach at the par-four ninth four feet from the pin for a third straight birdie.

"I did what I needed to do," said Scheffler, who added an eight-foot birdie at the 11th and a 10-foot birdie at the par-three 16th. "(I) went out and executed to give myself some opportunities and more of that tomorrow and I think I'll be in a good spot."

Scheffler, who won the Masters in 2022 and 2024 for his first two major titles before winning the PGA Championship and the Open Championship last year, said Augusta National forces players to rise to another level.

"I think that's what great players and great competitors do is they're able to rise to the occasion," Scheffler said. "I think that's why it's such a great test too, because not only do you have to conquer this golf course ... but you also have to conquer your nerves as well to get it done around here."

Scheffler had recorded his second-worst score at Augusta on Friday, finding the water twice.

"I didn't fix anything," Scheffler said. "I felt like yesterday I played a lot better than my score. Then today, early in the round I felt like I got a lot out of it.

"The back nine I did a lot of really good things and I didn't really feel like I got the reward for it," added the American, who said he hit "three really good shots" at 17 and settled for par.

He was also unable to capitalize on the two back-nine par-fives. After bogeys at both on Friday he parred both.

"Well, yesterday I had the two water balls, that's gonna kill you," Scheffler said. "Today in the fairway at 13 I get a mudball and so there's not much I can do there other than try and get up there somewhere on the green.

"Going into 15 I hit a really nice shot, caught a little gust downwind. It landed pretty close to pin-high but just took a big bounce and went over."

Scheffler bettered his previous best Masters round of 66 in the first round in 2024, and with the course firming up in the Saturday afternoon sunshine he was confident he'd be in the hunt on Sunday.

"I don't feel like I'm out of the tournament," he said.

Y.Parker--ThChM