Cloud hangs over fallen McIlroy

(REUTERS)

Rory McIlroy's dream debut at the Masters was in danger of turning into an embarrassing nightmare here last night as Masters officials reviewed videotape to see whether he had breached the rules on the 18th hole. If McIlroy was found guilty of kicking the sand after he had left the ball in the greenside bunker the punishment would be stark. The teenager would be disqualified.

It was a terrible climax to a day that until his last three holes had promised to be one of the best of his short professional career. McIlroy went through the first 15 holes in four-under and was figuring high up on the leaderboard. The galleries were stunned. Rookies are not supposed to contend here, especially when they are 19, especially when the conditions are this tough. Alas, all McIlroy's good work soon came crashing down.

First came the catastrophe on the green of the par-three 16th when he four-putted from 40 feet for a double-bogey five. Then on the 18th followed an even more calamitous affair. McIlroy failed to splash his ball out of the greenside bunker. It was then that he allegedly kicked the sand.

As his ball was still in the trap he had transgressed the regulation which deals with "testing conditions in a hazard". Rule 13-4 says: "Examples of actions that would constitute testing the condition of the hazard include the following: kicking the ground in the hazard..." It is a very well-known rule for which the penalty is two shots.

If McIlroy had called the foul on himself he would have signed for a 75 and at three-over he would have missed the cut anyway. Of course, that would obviously be preferable to being sent home in ignominy or even having to play in the third round with this shadow hanging over him.

After finishing his round, McIlroy had declined to speak to reporters. "I don't feel like talking right now," he said. His spectacular meltdown had clearly hurt.

The night soon became worse for the Irish contingent. Padraig Harrington was going along very nicely when he, himself, fell victim to the rulebook on the 15th green.

The Dubliner had addressed the ball when it moved and after a long consultation with the referee, he was hit with a one-shot penalty. Harrington still managed to par the par five, but his momentum had been checked as he lined up his weekend shot at a third successive major. At three-under with three remaining, however, he was in a much more agreeable state than the beleaguered young Ulsterman.

What might not have helped McIlroy's mood any was the sensational play of his playing partner, Anthony Kim. Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry might have been holding the halfway lead in the Masters but much of the talk last night on the neon-lit Washington Road focused around the 23-year-old's remarkable new Masters mark.

Kim posted 11 birdies, a record here for a single round. His 65 was easily the day's best and hauled him right into contention at four-under. And that the next big thing in American golf achieved it in severe conditions made it all the more incredible. As well as the birdie blitz there were two bogeys, one double-bogey and just four pars. Boring it was not.

In contrast, Tiger Woods' day was lacking excitement as the putts stayed out in his 72. At two-under and seven behind, he now has a rather ominous challenge these next two days.

In the last 17 years only one winner has emerged from outside of the top five after the second round. Yet if anyone can emulate Mark O'Meara's comeback in 1998 then surely it is Woods.

Campbell and Perry will be imposing foes for anyone to pass, however. They are Ryder Cup players both and in Perry, America have a proven winner to cheer. His 67 to advance to nine-under was peerlessly compiled, being the only bogeyless card on a torrid day.

The birdie-filled excitement of Thursday had given way to the bogey-filled examination of Friday as Augusta bared its notorious fangs. Tighter pin positions combined with winds and the drying greens to make the National course almost unrecognisable from the first round. The beauty had become a brute again. The back nine was particularly gruelling and that made Perry's inward half of 33 all the more remarkable.

Perry has been promising a major performance like this for a long time, being a multiple champion on the PGA Tour. In fact, the only thing that seemed to hold him back last year was his obsession with appearing in the Ryder Cup in his home state of Kentucky. Bizarrely, it saw him turning down his chance to play in the Open at Birkdale. Apparently, nothing was going to come between Kenny and his dream date in front of his own galleries and yesterday he outlined why.

"You know, when I was young my dad would beat on me so hard when I didn't win and laugh in my face when he was doing it," said the American. "He was a smart man as it made me have very clear goals. And when he gave me a hug at the Ryder Cup that was a special moment. Everything is a bonus now. That does not mean I'm not trying to win here. I believe I can, I'm hitting the driver so, so straight."

His fellow pacesetter Campbell has been here before. Three years ago, he also went out on Saturday with the lead, but was to watch his challenge die at the water on the 15th on the Sunday afternoon. If either of them is likely to buckle it is the Texan. Although Campbell is finding birdies easy to come by, particularly on the front nine.

If only Britain could boast the same. It seems highly unlikely that there will be a first major winner to hail in 10 years, or indeed a first Green Jacket in 13 years. Leading the way in the clubhouse was the grand old servant to European golf, Sandy Lyle (left). The 51-year-old was alongside Woods on two-under after a 70 that included five birdies in succession from the 13th.

"I'm not too sure myself where that came from," said Lyle, who has recently been struggling on the Seniors Tour. "I knew after nine holes I had a bit of work to do as I was two over for the tournament. I really had to play to make the cut. I am happy to be playing the weekend for the third year in a row. Although, trouble lurks everywhere round here."

Perhaps understandably a couple of the old boys did not fare so well. Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson and Gary Player all suffered rounds in the 80s, the last on his final appearance here. Meanwhile, Todd Hamilton cajoled it around in two-under. That took him to six-under and ensured he would start off today among the leaders. The forgotten champion of the 2004 Open Championship was back. "I've had a really odd career," he said. "When I play well I do so for a stretch but sometimes it looks like I don't even belong out here."

Many felt like that yesterday. Inevitably, players and patrons alike were feeling nostalgic for Thursday when the roar had returned. How quickly it can all change here. Rory now knows that better than anyone.

Shot of the day

Chad Campbell enjoyed nine birdies in his first round 65 and wasted no time in getting to the magical 10 when playing a glorious chip from the front of the 2nd green. Having to use the bank to feed it down to the pin, Campbell managed it to almost perfection.

Putt it there!

The American Bubba Watson is better known for his long driving, and, of course, for his daft Christian name. But on the 13th hole, Watson showed he can wield the putter, too, when he holed a raking 30-footer across the par-five green for an eagle.

Masters nightmare

As a five-time Open champion, Tom Watson is supposed to be rather handy when the gusts swirl and the yardage books become irrelevant. The young Tom might have been, but the Old Tom was rueing the shift in conditions. An 83 was extremely humiliating.

Scores after second round

(US unless stated; x=amateur)

*135 K Perry 68 67, C Campbell 65 70

*136 A Cabrera (Arg) 68 68

*138 T Hamilton 68 70

*139 T Clark (SA) 68 71

*140 A Kim 75 65, R Sabbatini (SA) 73 67, S Katayama 67 73

*141 H Mahan 66 75, S Stricker 72 69, N Watney 70 71, S Ames (Can) 73 68, H Stenson (Swe) 71 70, G Ogilvy (Aus) 71 70, V Singh (Fiji) 71 70

*142 S Lyle (Sco) 72 70, A Baddeley (Aus) 68 74, T Woods 70 72, G McDowell (NI) 69 73, J Merrick 68 74, D Johnson 72 70, L Westwood (Eng) 70 72, P Harrington (Ire) 69 73

*143 R Mediate 73 70, L Mize 67 76, K Duke 71 72, MA Jimenez (Sp) 70 73, M Weir (Can) 68 75

*144 P Casey (Eng) 72 72, S O'Hair 68 76, A Romero (Arg) 69 75, I Poulter (Eng) 71 73, B Watson 72 72, D Hart 72 72, B Curtis 73 71, L Donald 73 71, J Rose (Eng) 74 70

*145 R McIlroy (NIrl) 72 73, T Immelman (SA) 71 74, R Allenby (Aus) 73 72, S Flesch 71 74, DJ Trahan 72 73, K Sutherland 69 76, R Fisher (Eng) 69 76, R Imada (Jpn) 73 72

PROJECTED CUT:

*146 JM Singh (Ind) 71 75, JM Olazabal (Sp) 71 75, A Scott (Aus) 71 75, R Sterne (SA) 72 74, F Couples 73 73, R Goosen (SA) 75 71, G Norman (Aus) 70 77, E Els (SA) 75 71

*147 R Karlsson (Swe) 73 74, S Kjeldsen (Den) 76 71, M Kaymer (Ger) 71 76, YE Yang (S Kor) 73 74, S Cink 69 78, (x) R Saxton (Neth) 75 72

*148 (x) J Newman 72 76, KJ Choi (S Kor) 76 72, B Baird 73 75, J Leonard 75 73, S Hansen (Den) 72 76

*149 I Woosnam (Wal), B Weekley 73 76

*150 (x) D Kittleson 78 72, R Ishikawa (Jpn) 73 77, Z Johnson 70 80, B Snedeker 76 74, L Oosthuizen (SA) 73 77, B Langer (Ger) 70 80

*151 M O'Meara 75 76, M Goggin (Aus) 74 77, W Lin (Tai) 77 74, C Reavie 75 76, C Stadler 77 74

*152 B Mayfair 77 75

*153 A Quiros (Sp) 78 75

*154 (x) S Wilson 79 75, P Perez 75 79, P Marksaeng (Tha) 70 84, C Pettersson (Swe) 75 79

*155 (x) D Lee (NZ) 74 81, F Zoeller 79 76, M Campbell (NZ) 80 75

*156 B Crenshaw 73 83

*157 T Watson 74 83

*158 R Floyd 79 79

*161 G Player (SA) 78 83