Masters Day 2: Rory McIlroy tees off as Shane Lowry struggles to make up ground

Elsewhere, Danny Willett recovered nicely to produce a birdie on the 10th for the Englishman to go under par for his round and move just two off the lead.He’s joined by Nicolai Hojgaard, whose wayward tee shot means he drops a shot at the penultimate hole. 

Day Two comes to an end for Shane Lowry! A par on the 18th Hole is his final act.

That leaves Lowry on +3 for the day after a tidy shot on the fairway allowed the Irishman to sink his final putt of the afternoon. 

Teeing off for the final time today on the 18th Hole, Shane Lowry's tee shot carries him 282 yards up the fairway. He followed that up with his iron, gaining 162 yards and a potential 12 foot putt for birdie.

That's a second consecutive bunker found from the tee box for Rory McIlroy! Hole 2 gets off to another shaky start as McIlroy is forced to chip out of the bunker which hugs the right shoulder of the fairway. 

Elsewhere, Nicolai Hojgaard's progress has stalled after two pars in a row. A bogey for Max Homa on the par-4 eleventh opened the door for Bryson DeChambeau who birdied the par-4 seventh to restore his lead at the top. 

Par for Shane Lowry on Hole 17!

That was a brilliant putt attempt from well over 20 feet, but it crept up short of the mark by mere inches. Lowry now enters the final 18th Hole which is another par-4.

Shane Lowry has just teed off on the par-4 seventeenth. A powerful 300-yard drive down the throat of the fairway leaves the Offaly native with a 156-yard distance to the pin. With his subsequent shot, Lowry finds himself on the green, with a nice platform to set up for par at least. 

Rory McIlroy has saved par on his opening hole!

A wayward tee shot from McIlroy found its way to the bunker, but the man from Northern Ireland managed to recover and tap home to stay at -1. 

Par for Shane Lowry on the 16th Hole.

An excellent tee shot from Shane Lowry on the 16th Hole leaves him 38 feet from the pin. The initial putt comes short by 4 feet, but Lowry taps home for par without much fuss. 

Max Homa has failed to save par on the 11th hole, thus going into a shared lead with Nicolai Hojgaard, Bryson DeChambeau, and Scottie Scheffler. Elsewhere, Danny Willett bagged an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole, returning to -4. 

Par for Shane Lowry on the 15th Hole. 

The Irishman skirted the water hazard with ease but left himself with a 25 foot putt. The birdie attempt came up just short by a foot, but Lowry tapped home to remain on +3 thru 14 at this point. 

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is set to tee off from the 1st Hole in a matter of minutes. 

Shane Lowry's second shot with his iron travels 158 yards, stopping just in advance of the water hazard. The green is just 23 foot away, but he must remain aware of the sand bunker situated just to the right of the pin. 

Nicolai Hojgaard has shown zero intentions of going away this afternoon. The Dane has birdied on the par-5 thirteenth to put himself level with Bryson DeChambeau on -6 for the day. 

Shane Lowry has just teed off on the 15th Hole, landing 297 yards into the middle of the fairway with his driver. That leaves just 253 yards to the pin on this par-5 hole. 

New Zealander Ryan Fox has started well with four pars on his opening four holes. However, the afternoon has turned for Taylor Moore who bogeyed the seventh, and England's Danny Willett who double bogeyed the fifth. Both drop to -2 as a result. 

Birdie for Shane Lowry on the fourteenth!

With perhaps his best tee up shot of the afternoon, Lowry sinks the 5-yard put with ease and cracks out a wry smile in the process. It might not be his best round so far, but the Irishman is enjoying himself nonetheless. 

Underneath the overhanging branches, Shane Lowry leaves himself with a 5 foot putt after a 150-yard shot with his iron lands him on the green. Another excellent opportunity for birdie has presented itself to the Offaly man. 

Shane Lowry has teed off on the 440-yard par-4 on the 14th Hole. A 315-yard drive leaves him on the fairway with 151 yards to the pin from his central position. 

Max Homa takes the lead as Bryson DeChambeau's day so far worsens with a bogey after a wild tee shot on the par-3 on Hole 4. Englishman Danny Willett has also dropped to -2 after a double bogey on the 5th Hole. Max Homa himself continues onto Hole 10 after a par on the ninth.