Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy spotted practicing in the dark at Augusta after a tough second round in the Masters: Reports

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy were reportedly seen practicing late on the range at Augusta National on Friday (April 12). According to reports, the World No. 1 and No. 2 golfers hit into the darkness till around 8:30 pm ET. The golfers put in the extra effort ahead of the weekend, after a tough Round 2’s play.

Scheffler led the 2024 Masters at the end of Day 2. The 27-year-old shot an even-par 72 and sat on top of the leaderboard at 6-under. He shared the position with Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau and continued the form on Saturday.

Meanwhile, McIlroy barely made the cut. The Northern Irishman sat T35 after the second round at Augusta. He sat alongside Phil Mickelson and a few others. It is pertinent to note that the ace golfer paid a visit to renowned swing coach Butch Harmon in Las Vegas, ahead of the event. However, he still seems to be in search of the results.

Despite the different stances on the leaderboard, the two golfers spent a few hours practicing together for Saturday.

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Rory McIlroy continues to eye Grand Slam win at the Masters

It is pertinent to note that McIlroy is attempting to complete his Career Grand Slam at the Masters this weekend. However, the week didn’t start well for him. The four-time Major winner failed to make a single birdie on Friday, as he continued to struggle with his swing like Thursday. The Northern Irishman dubbed it a “tough day” at work.

Commenting on his second-round outing on Friday, Rory McIlroy said:

“Tough day, really tough day. Just hard to make a score and just sort of trying to make as many pars as possible… My golf swing felt horrific for the last six or seven holes, just from hitting around. Especially that 11th hole. It felt like it took an hour to play that hole.

"Yeah, it was stop-start; it was hard to get into a rhythm with the conditions and, obviously, how slow the play was as well.”

Meanwhile, Scheffler was on a roll at Augusta. The golfer, tapped favorite to win this weekend, said that he seemingly perfected his fundamentals, namely his grip ahead of the event. In his post-round press conference, the 2022 Masters champion said he would “hit a few just to get a feel.”

With some extra swings put in post-regular play, both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will be eyeing big results on Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see how the two golfers fare in the competition.