Wales coach Wayne Pivac says he can turn things around after overseeing his sixth successive defeat in charge.

Pivac has lost six out of seven competitive games in charge since taking over from Warren Gatland after the 2019 World Cup.

He replied "yes" when asked whether he was the man to continue to take Wales forward.

"The thing from a head coach's point of view in these situations is when you see the vibe amongst the players," Pivac said.

"If you were in the changing room you would see a very disappointed team but that put in a hell of a shift.

"We had asked for that after the Scotland performance and a positive was the work we had put in without the ball and it was a hell of a defensive effort."

Ireland were always in control in Dublin, with Quinn Roux's try helping the hosts to a 10-point half-time lead.

A try in the final minute by Ireland wing James Lowe capped victory for the home side and gave Wales' margin of defeat an unflattering look.

"We're concerned about any performance where we don't get the result and we've had a few on the bounce, which is why we're down," Pivac said.

"From my point of view it's not about me, it's about the team and making sure we give them the best preparation and opportunity to perform.

"I think the preparation has been good. We're working hard at everything but it is taking a bit of time for us to click and eliminate the errors which are hampering us."

This is the first time Wales have lost six consecutive games since the team in 2012 and 2013 suffered eight successive defeats.

The 23-man squad, which totals more than 1,000 caps between them, is close to the group of players that won the Grand Slam in 2019 and reached the World Cup semi-finals under Gatland.

"We have got a lot of players who have come back from serious injury and probably aren't that at their peak," said Pivac.

"They and we know that and it's frustrating and the changes we want to make are taking time.

"We're looking to change what we've done for over 10 years, change mindsets, and it doesn't happen overnight in my experience. It is something we will continue to work towards because we believe in it.

"It's roll the sleeves up on Monday and we're not giving in on this, we're working towards the (2023) World Cup and it's going to take time."

Wales struggled in the scrum in the first half, with prop Rhys Carre suffering a torrid evening against Andrew Porter. Pivac brought off Carre just before half-time in favour of Wyn Jones.

"We were disappointed in the first half in terms of our set-piece... it is not about individuals, it is about what is best for the team at the time," said Pivac.

"The set-piece was under pressure, there was a scrum on our line and we did not want to concede before half-time so we made the change.

"We were not able to build any pressure. The line-out was malfunctioning and in the scrum there were infringements so we were unable to build anything which was similar to the first half against Scotland.

"That was frustrating but the difference from a positive point of view was the defensive effort and the energy we are looking for was there. Unfortunately when you are having to make those many tackles it is going to take a toll sometime in the game."

Pivac believes there were improvements after a poor first-half performance with Wales conceding 34 penalties in the last two games.

"At half-time we were looking to eliminate our mistakes in the second half and get the discipline under control because when we conceded territory it is hard to build momentum." added Pivac.

"After half-time we were reasonably positive and started to play some rugby and hold onto the ball. At the latter stage of the second half more individual errors crept in. That is something we need to address quickly."

Pivac said the six-game run of defeats would not affect his strategy, with wholesale changes planned against Georgia in Llanelli on 21 November.

"That is to give the squad a run in the Georgia game, so we continue to build depth and work hard," added Pivac.

"It's not as if we've been beaten on a regular basis by teams that are much better than us, we're helping the opposition by giving them too many easy ins and hurting ourselves.

"It's something we're working hard to rectify as quickly as we can."

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – One of the biggest surprises during the NTT IndyCar Series season was perennial championship contender Alexander Rossi did not win a race.

The Andretti Autosport driver can generally be expected to win a few races each year, such as 2019’s blowout wins at Long Beach and Road America, where the margin of victory approached 30 seconds.

Rossi won’t have a chance to win another IndyCar race in 2020, but he has an opportunity to close out the racing season with a win in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with Acura Team Penske this weekend at Sebring Int’l Raceway.

Because this is an endurance race, IMSA teams add another driver to the regular lineup to share the driving duties over the length of the contest. Rossi is part of the driver lineup for the No. 7 Acura that also includes the team’s regular drivers, Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor, who drove the car to the pole on Friday.

Rossi has a chance to end the season with a victory in Acura Team Penske’s final IMSA race. Team owner Roger Penske’s operation is leaving IMSA at the end of this season and Acura is splitting its program between Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing in 2021.

“The team has done a very good job at the halfway point of this year figuring out what we need to do to win,” Rossi told SPEED SPORT Friday afternoon. “The overall pace of the car was never a question. We got seven poles between the two cars in 12 races.

“The 7 car has been on a hell of a streak lately, winning four of the last five races. There is no reason why we can’t do it this weekend. We put it on pole, and we will see what happens.

“It’s 12 hours and endurance races haven’t been kind to us in the past, but I think everyone is motivated after Petit last month. We’ll see how it goes. You have to win to get the championship, so it will be a fight all day tomorrow.”

Saturday’s race at Florida’s Sebring Int’l Raceway begins at 10 a.m. E.T. Because of COVID-19, the race was rescheduled from March to mid-November, which means half of the race will be contested at night.

This will be the sixth IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of Rossi’s career, but his third for Acura Team Penske this season. Rossi’s team finished second in the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on Oct. 17 after leading 131 laps.

“We’ve had a lot of issues in the endurance races,” Rossi said. “The Rolex 24 this year, we had a car to fight for the win, but got hit in hour three. Then it was driving around the back for the other 24 hours. It was a big wait before Petit and Petit went fairly well. We were in it with a chance to win it, fighting for it with five laps to go with the 31 car and it didn’t quite work out.

“Everything is working well right now. The whole team is in a good rhythm and we have one more race to close it out.”

The situation is unique for Rossi, who drives for Andretti Autosport in the NTT IndyCar Series and often finds himself battling Team Penske’s trio of drivers for positions on the podium.

This weekend Rossi has switched sides as a Team Penske driver.

“I have a great relationship with this team,” Rossi said. “They are my second team. I have an appreciation and respect for the guys in this organization. When we are at IMSA races, we don’t talk about IndyCar and when we are at IndyCar races, we don’t talk about IMSA. It’s two very separate situations where you are trying to win races as an individual while trying to get a team and a manufacturer out. I’ve loved driving for them for the past couple of years. I have a lot of good relationships and friendships with the guys here.

“Ultimately, we’re trying to win these for Acura and HPD. Aside from the six-hour Road Atlanta race, Acura hasn’t won in any of the endurance races. We have one more shot at it with Team Penske and this relationship. It would be very special because it would allow us to win the championship and tick off one of the flagship endurance races in the world, it would be great to finally get one after three years in this program.”

If the No. 7 Acura is successful in taking the checkered flag ahead of the competition after 12 hours, Rossi will be able to celebrate his only win of the year and Acura Team Penske can celebrate a championship in its final IMSA race, at least for the foreseeable future.

“It’s a huge honor and privilege to drive for the whole organization and Acura,” Rossi said. “It’s a very important program for them. This era is shifting at the end of the year come Sunday, it’s special to be a part of it. To be able to say I was part of Team Penske’s and Acura’s return to sports car racing in the US is remarkable and something I’ll cherish for a long time.

“I’m focusing on what we are trying to do this weekend, and that is win a championship.”

SEBRING, Fla. – As the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season concluded Friday evening at Sebring Int’l Raceway, Change Racing rode off into the sunset with all the championship hardware.

The team that fields Lamborghini Charlotte Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVOs, crowned season champs in all four classes following the second race of the day and 10th of the season.

Madison Snow (No. 16 Huracán) clinched the Pro class title by finishing second in Friday afternoon’s final race. Younger brother McKay Snow and Corey Lewis (No. 63 Huracán) took the ProAm championship with a third-place result in the finale. Victor Gomez IV (No. 29 Huracán) had already sewn up the Am title but completed a perfect season with his 10th win. And Randy Sellari (No. 03 Huracán) racked up his sixth race win on his way to the LB Cup championship.

“It’s a massive cap to everybody on the team to win all the championships,” said Lewis, who also earned a Rolex 24 At Daytona GT Daytona class victory driving a Huracán GT3 in January. “Total team effort. Man, it sounds great to be champions!”

Like the first race Friday morning, the 50-minute afternoon event ran caution-free. And as in the morning, the No. 6 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Huracán started from the pole and won behind drivers Steven Aghakhani and Jacob Eidson.

“We came in here knowing what had to be done,” Aghakhani said. “We obviously tried everything we could but unfortunately the (No.) 16 car held its pace the second race and there was only so much we could do about it.”

Aghakhani and Eidson took solace in the fact they won more races (4-3) than Madison Snow and earned every point possible this weekend. The final tally had Madison Snow with 121 points and Aghakhani/Eidson with 118.

“The car was amazing today,” said Eidson, the ProAm champion last year with Darren Ockey. “I didn’t really have any drama when I was out there driving and the car was just stuck to the ground like rails. … We did everything that we possibly could have done to put ourselves in the best position to win the championship. Even though we didn’t win that, we’re still really stoked to win both races here. It’s a perfect end to the season.”

Madison Snow finished on the podium in every race but one this season. That consistency led to his title.

“It’s awesome being the champion,” Madison Snow said. “It was very stressful coming down to the last minute. I could’ve clinched it in Race 1; didn’t have what it took. Then in race two, it came down to the very end, but I clinched the championship.”

Danny Formal highlighted his capabilities in the ProAm race. Starting last after his car didn’t pass post-qualifying technical inspection Thursday, Formal willed the No. 99 Ansa Motorsports Lamborghini Broward Huracán to fifth place overall and first in class at the checkered flag.

“I think it was the best start I’ve ever done in my life,” Formal said. “I started 16th and by the end of the first lap I was 10th – passed six cars in one lap. The car was on rails. I’m so thankful to Ansa Motorsports. … Extremely happy, super grateful. The team is doing a fantastic job for our first season.”

Lewis and McKay Snow finished the afternoon race third in ProAm, but it was enough to give them a five-point advantage (125-120) over Leo Lamelas (No. 24 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Westlake Huracán) in the class standings.

“We just knew what we needed to do,” McKay Snow said. “We ended up with two (third-place finishes) today and that’s all we needed to wrap up the championship. All we were thinking about was bringing it home because this completes a clean sweep (of championships) for our team.”

Gomez continued to impress, winning by a lap in the Am class to collect his second IMSA-sanctioned championship. He was the 2018 Gold Cup winner in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.

“It’s been amazing. I’m just so grateful,” Gomez said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity Change Racing gave me. I’m thankful for my sponsors, for my family that have been traveling in these tough times from Puerto Rico. This is my second IMSA championship so I’m super happy. I’m excited for the future.”

Sellari completed a victory sweep of the two races in LB Cup and choked up with emotion afterward when discussing his championship.

“That last duel with my teammate Matt (Dicken, No. 36 Huracán), that was a good one,” Sellari said. “I didn’t think I was ever going to get around him. Once I got into the front, I wasn’t going to let anybody past me after that. I’m elated! I’ve never won anything like this. This is for my kids.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Thanks to the generosity of car owners Carole and Alton Palmer, one of DIRTcar superstar Jack Johnson’s last rides is now on exhibit in the Racing in New York gallery of the Saratoga Automobile Museum.

“The car was barely in the door when museum visitors started relating memories of Jack’s classic battles with CD Coville at Albany-Saratoga and Lou Lazzaro at Fonda to our staff and docents,” said exhibit coordinator Ron Hedger. “The car, which Jack drove for the Palmer’s at Syracuse, triggers all sorts of memories of one of dirt modified racing’s biggest stars.”

Johnson will go in the history books as one of DIRTcar’s all-time great heroes, as likely to win on the far-flung DIRTcar Modified Tour as he was at his home track, Fonda Speedway.

A Fonda Fairgrounds winner in 34 seasons stretching from 1971 to his final score on May 30, 2009, a season that also saw him win a major event in Sharon, Ohio, Johnson’s 149 wins top another Fonda hero, Lou Lazzaro, who visited victory lane 113 times. Fonda was also the scene of a crash that ended a career that saw Johnson elected to multiple Halls of Fame.

In addition to his Fonda victories, Johnson scored 90 times at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, where his battles with C.D. Coville were legendary, and scores of wins at the Central New York dirt tracks. He was also a six-time Mr. DIRT champion, besting such luminaries as Bob McCreadie, Brett Hearn, Alan and Danny Johnson and Will Cagle.

Johnson also made history as the first New Yorker to win the finale of Super DIRT Week on the famed New York State Fair mile in Syracuse, winning the seventh running in 1979 and backing it up with another victory in 1984.

The familiar orange No. 12A joins another recent addition to the Racing in New York gallery, Ken Gypsum’s restored 1937 Ford flatback sedan that raced at tracks around the Capital District in the early 1960’s. While both are stock cars, the contrast in technology and safety innovations is amazing.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum, located on the Avenue of the Pines in the Saratoga Spa State Park, is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information on the museum and the featured Golub and Dammerman galley exhibit displaying the cars of Rob Dyson, is available online at www.saratogaautomuseum.org.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – As officials raced to catch up at Augusta National following Thursday’s storm delay, some players were forced to complete their first round early Friday before quickly heading back out for Round 2.

Justin Thomas was one of those players who had less than 40 minutes between rounds. He grabbed a quick lunch in the locker room and met his putting coach, John Graham, on the practice green for a short session after failing to convert three birdie chances over his final five holes of his opening round.

“I met him there a little bit after 10 [a.m.], and we hit putts for probably six, seven minutes,” Thomas said. “Within a couple minutes we knew what was going on, and then, yeah, we walked to the first tee at about 10:11 and pegged it at 10:14.”

Thomas explained that his putting stroke has a tendency of becoming long and slow and admitted that at Augusta National he can become “very skittish and scared on some putts.”

“I just get a little bit shorter and quicker is what it feels like to me because when it gets a little longer,” he said. “I need to be a little more aggressive and hit a shot is what John calls it.”

Thomas got off to a slow start in the second round with bogeys on two of his first four holes. He also had a double bogey at the par-4 first, his 10th hole of the day. But Thomas rolled in seven birdie putts for a 3-under 69 and a share of the lead.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods got in 10 holes and one tee ball before the horn sounded Friday night at Augusta National. He will resume his second round Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. ET with his second shot from the second cut left of the par-4 11th. Amen Corner awaits.

Let’s set the stage for a long weekend at the Masters:

• First, a quick recap. Woods is even par on his round, 4 under for the week and five off the lead through 28 holes. He did exactly what he needed to at Nos. 2 and 8, taking advantage of the par 5s with spot-on short-game play.

But a messy three-putt from 13 feet at the third and a failed sand save at the seventh neutralized both. He treaded water for two-and-a-half hours.

• I’ll call it now. This Masters comes down to what Tiger does tomorrow morning. He’ll have fresh greens, softer conditions and the final eight holes of Augusta National in front of him. He’ll start with an approach from 203 yards to the 11th green tomorrow morning. He’ll then be able to fire at the left-hand pin position on 12. He’s got two par 5s to take down at 13 and 15 and a very gettable pin in the left bowl on 16. He has three to four very real birdie opportunities and should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 or 8 under par through two rounds. If he can get there, he’ll be in position to claim his sixth green jacket.

• How he gets through 11 will give us an early indication as to how this is going to go. It’s very hard to get aggressive with this second shot. I joked that he should have blown it so far right off the tee that he had a straight line to the green from the other side of the trees. I’m still not sure I was joking. Alas, he’s left. A good par at 11 with give him the green light at 12, and then it’s seven-hole sprint to the finish, with birdie chances 12, 13, 15, 16 and wherever else he can hit a quality shot.

• A 26-hole Moving Day starts at 7:30.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The central character at the Masters is now battling just to make the cut.

When play was suspended because of darkness, Bryson DeChambeau was lining up a 17-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 13th hole. At 1 over par, he needs to play the six holes in no worse than 1 under to make the cut for the low 50 and ties.

The reigning U.S. Open champion opened with 70 but found trouble early in his round Friday at Augusta National. On the short par-4 third – the hole he said he planned to drive, perhaps with a 3-wood – DeChambeau’s tee shot sailed down the left rough line, sky high as always. (He has, by far, the highest apex on Tour.) Its landing spot, for a while, was unknown; the players, caddies, rules officials and volunteers couldn’t locate the ball, likely plugged, after a 3-minute search in the second cut.

The ball was later discovered, just off the fairway.

“We must have been close,” said Jon Rahm, who was in the group. “When you have Bryson hitting it as hard as he hits it, it’s kind of hooking with not much spin into a soft area. We were all confident it was pretty buried and it was going to be hard to find.

“It’s unfortunate that the Rules of Golf don’t let you figure out it’s somewhere there and keep playing, and he had to re-tee, and I know that affected him a little bit because he didn’t play his best golf after that. But he’s a fighter and he’s showing it. It was just unfortunate.”

So back to the tee went DeChambeau, who launched another tee shot into a similar spot. Only 50 yards away, his fourth shot flew the green, his chip ran past the hole and onto the fringe, and he two-putted from there for a triple-bogey 7.

More trouble ensued. 

DeChambeau flared his tee shot on No. 4 into the greenside bunker, leading to a bogey. He dropped another shot on 5, when he couldn’t get up-and-down from right of the green.

All of a sudden two shots off the projected cut line, DeChambeau mixed three birdies with two bogeys the rest of the way before heading to the 13th, his final hole before the horn sounded. The game’s longest hitter took an aggressive line over the left trees, turning his head to hear if he cleared the trouble. Indeed, his ball landed in the middle of the fairway, just 124 yards from the flag.

From there, DeChambeau hit a mediocre wedge shot, to 17 feet. He’ll have that for eagle when play resumes at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday.

Instead of shutting down the lighted tournament practice area, DeChambeau headed straight to his car.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The second round of the 84^th Masters Tournament will resume at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, with Round 3 scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

A 2-hour-and-47-minute weather delay on Thursday pushed Round 1 into Friday and now the second round has spilled over, with 48 players yet to complete 36 holes.

A cut will be made after the conclusion of Round 2, with the low-50 and ties qualifying.

ESPN will begin airing the resumption of the second round at 7:30 a.m., with “Live From the Masters” beginning after the round is over.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A long day in the small window of daylight that comes with a Masters in November didn't settle anything except that Dustin Johnson is playing like the No. 1 player and Justin Thomas has finally figured out Augusta National.

They were among four players atop the leaderboard Friday when the second round was halted by darkness, a product of the most unusual Masters ever trying to catch up from a three-hour weather delay at the start.

Among those still on the course was Tiger Woods, stuck in neutral on a day when the greens picked up a little more speed and the autumn leaves shook slightly with some wind. Bryson DeChambeau was struggling to make the cut after a lost ball that led to a triple bogey.

What two days have shown is that Masters experience only goes so far on a soft course with rye grass that isn't grown in quite the way it usually is in April.

Abraham Ancer, one of 26 newcomers to the Masters, ran off six birdies in his round of 5-under 67 that allowed him to join Johnson (70) and Thomas (69) as part of the clubhouse lead at 9-under 135. Also tied at the top was Cameron Smith of Australia, who played his last four holes with an eagle and three straight birdies for a 68.

Another Masters rookie, Sungjae Im (70), was in the group another shot behind that included Patrick Cantlay (66), who contended for the green jacket last year.

"You have to really throw all the past knowledge out the window this week, as weird as it is,'' Thomas said. "A lot of the history and things that you know about the golf course, it can sometimes hurt you this week because of what you're used to. But at the end of the day, it is a lot softer and a lot more scorable.''

He served up one example from Friday morning when he was among 44 players who had to finish his opening round. Thomas was well left of the 15th green in two with the pin to the right, leaving a pitch that typically is nearly impossible to hit close. He hit a hard, low pitch that hit the brakes at the hole and spun gently to tap-in range for birdie.

"I had to trust that I just had to gas it and hit it pretty hard and it was going to spin,'' Thomas said. "Balls are making pitch marks with chip shots and pitch shots.''

Johnson was among three players to finish 1 shot behind Woods at the last Masters, and he appeared to be hitting his stride with four birdies on the back nine to cap off a 65 in the morning. That gave him a share of the 18-hole lead with Dylan Frittelli and Paul Casey.

Johnson quickly became the first player this week to reach 10 under with three birdies around Amen Corner. But then he had some mud on his ball -- that's not unusual this week -- that sent his ball to an impossible shelf on the 14th green, leading to a three-putt bogey. Next, his 3-iron caught a small gust on the par-5 15th, and that was enough to hit the front of the green and roll back into the water. That led to bogey.

Momentum gone? Johnson shrugged.

But he followed with 11 straight pars -- shots in the bunker cost him good birdie chances on the par 5s on the front nine -- until stuffing his last approach to 6 feet for birdie on No. 9.

After a wet start, the forecast was shaping up for a nice weekend, and there was a buzz at Augusta National on Friday. It wasn't from the crowd -- no patrons were allowed this year -- but from the motors of the SubAir system.

"I think it can firm up a little bit, but it's going to be tough for it to get firm,'' Johnson said. "I think it's going to be soft enough to where you're going to have to attack the golf course and play aggressive and keep swinging like I am. I like where I'm at. I like my position.''

Of those still on the course, Hideki Matsuyama was at 8 under with three holes to play, while Jon Rahm birdied the par-3 12th hole to reach 8 under when play was suspended.

Woods left the course on Thursday with only three players ahead of him. He was tied for 10th when the first round ended, and he was tied for 22nd when he left Friday night with two birdies on the par-5s and bogeys on the third and seventh, the latter from a tee shot close enough to the Georgia pines that his only shot was to hit a runner into the front bunker.

DeChambeau, the betting favorite coming into the week because of his enormous bulk and power off the tee, took a big swing on No. 3 and never found the ball. With the altitude on his shots, it could have buried under the soft turf.

Either way, he went back to the tee and drove in about the same spot, made a mess of his flop shot and took a triple bogey. He followed with two more bogeys but was in good position for a birdie to get back to even par for the tournament.

The cut is the top 50 and ties, and among those who will be sticking around are young and old -- 23-year-old U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein and 63-year-old Bernhard Langer. The two-time Masters champion shot 68 in the morning on a long, soft course. He followed with a 73 and will be the oldest player to make the cut at Augusta National.

"It actually makes me feel older when I play with these young guys and I see how far they hit it and how short I hit it,'' Langer said. "I like this golf course. I think I know how to get around it, even though I hit very long clubs. But it's certainly not easy.''

It was plenty hard for Rory McIlroy, who opened with a 75 and was in danger of the weekend off until he rallied with a 66 to at least get back in the mix in his pursuit of the final leg of the career Grand Slam.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Bryson DeChambeau, the betting favorite entering this Masters, had another wild ride at Augusta National Golf Club in the second round, which was halted because of darkness on Friday.

Through 12 holes of the second round, DeChambeau sits one shot below the projected cut line of even par.

When play resumes on Saturday morning, DeChambeau will have a 17-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th to get on the right side of the line.

Then again, if the first two days of the 2020 Masters were any indication, there will probably be plenty of drama over his final five holes.

DeChambeau is the fourth consecutive major champion to struggle in his next major start -- and he would be the third to miss the cut if he doesn't make up ground when play resumes on Saturday.

PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa missed the cut at the U.S. Open; 2019 Open Championship winner Shane Lowry tied for 66th at the PGA Championship; and 2019 U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland missed the cut at the 2019 Open Championship.

According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, DeChambeau would be the first player since Greg Norman in 1990 to miss the cut at the Masters after entering as the betting favorite.

DeChambeau isn't the only player with work to do on Saturday morning. Matt Kuchar is 1 under with five holes to play; Tony Finau is 1 under with seven to play; and Lowry, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth are even with eight to go. Woodland is 3 over with eight to play.

Matthew Wolff (3 over), Tyrrell Hatton (3 over), Francesco Molinari (6 over) and Fred Couples (6 over) completed their second rounds and will miss the cut.

Rory's save

Things didn't look good for Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who is trying to complete the career grand slam by winning a green jacket. Shortly after first-round play resumed Friday morning, he had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch (with a birdie) on the second nine and settled for a 3-over 75.

After starting his second round less than a half-hour later, he had four birdies on the second nine and two more on the first nine with no bogeys for a 6-under 66.

"I honestly have been playing so good coming in here, and then I go into the first round and I shoot 75, and I'm like, 'Where the hell did that come from?'" McIlroy said. "I knew it was in there, it was just a matter of, as I said, just trusting a little more and being committed. It was better [Friday] afternoon."

McIlroy still has plenty of work to do. He'll start the third round six shots behind co-leaders Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith,

Koepka's bad break

Brooks Koepka, who finished second behind Tiger Woods here a year ago, finally had momentum going and was in good position on the par-4 third hole. After a 281-yard drive, Koepka was in the middle of the fairway and only 60 yards from the hole.

Then his second shot bounced off the top of the flagstick and rolled 32 yards away.

"I mean, that's why I don't aim at flags, right?" Koepka said. "Technically, I was trying to hit it right of it, so I pulled it."

Still, with birdies on his last two holes, Nos. 8 and 9, Koepka will start the third round four shots behind the leaders.

"It is a little bit tougher sometimes with no fans to really kind of get in there and grind it out," Koepka said. "I mean, I'm not going to quit, but [I'm] just putting it in stupid places sometimes where it's like, 'That's the one spot you know you can't miss it, and I put it there."

Young and, well, not-so-young

Amateur John Augenstein, the 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up and a fifth-year senior at Vanderbilt, had his name on the leaderboard for quite a while on Friday.

First, Augenstine eagled the par-5 13th hole by chipping in from below the green. He had pars on his final five holes for a 3-under 69 in the first round.

The 23-year-old was just as good in the second round with three birdies on the second nine, his first nine holes of the round. He had a bogey-free round going until he bogeyed No. 5 and had a triple on No. 7.

He shot even par 72 in the second round and is the low amateur at 3 under, which was good enough for a tie for 27th.

Another amateur, Georgia Tech's Andy Ogletree, who defeated Augenstein at the U.S. Amateur a year ago, is even with eight holes to go.

Meanwhile, Germany's Bernhard Langer, at age 63 and nearly three times as old as Augenstine and Ogletree, sits at 3-under after 36 holes. He became the oldest player to make the cut at the Masters 34 days. Tommy Aaron held the previous record by making the cut in 2000 at 63 years, 44 days.

"It actually makes me feel older when I play with these young guys and I see how far they hit it and how short I hit it," Langer said. "It makes me feel older, not younger. I like this golf course. I think I know how to get around it, even though I hit very long clubs. But it's certainly not easy. It's a lot hitter's place, always has been."

There is a still a chance Langer could get company from his age group this weekend. Larry Mize, at 62, still has a chance to make the cut. He stands two shots off the cut number with four holes remaining in his second round.