The Northern Irishman moved to seven under for the day, shooting back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth holes at Augusta – but his pursuit of Patrick Reed looked momentarily in trouble after finding the bunker on the fifth.
Trapped under the steep face just south of the green, McIlroy’s chip attempt out of the bunker slammed into the top lip as he turned away in disgust at the effort.
But incredibly, the ball soared high into the air propelled by a huge amount of top spin and landed fortuitously around 30 yards short of the green.
It rolled on and on, before finally coming to a halt within birdie range as McIlroy couldn’t help but crack a smile at his luck.
His joy was short-lived however as the ensuing birdie putt fell just short.
Minutes later, McIlroy fired a phenomenal iron shot centimetres short of the hole on the par-three sixth.
Any backspin would have seen the 28-year-old slot a sensational hole-in-one, taking advantage of a mixed day for tournament leader Reed so far.
Reed is currently evens through five, having started the day with a bogey on the third before finding a birdie at the fifth to restore a two-shot lead at the top.
Speaking after play yesterday, Reed seemed relaxed about leading the pack at the halfway stage.
“I’m just going to go ahead and do the same thing I’ve been doing,” he said.
“My game plan has gotten me to this point, and I have 36 more holes to stick to my game plan. The biggest thing is to execute and stay patient out there and give myself opportunities to make birdies and try to roll in some putts.
“I believe that if I play the golf that I know how to play, that I can win Majors.”
