AUGUSTA, Ga. – The message Bob Rotella delivered Friday morning to his star pupil was simple. Don’t try to do it all at once, to recoup all those shots lost on the second nine a night earlier in a single swing. Take time and allow the round to build.

Rory McIlroy heeded the advice from the godfather of golf psychology, putting it into practice in a second round at Augusta National that resuscitated McIlroy’s Masters chances.

“I just tried to stay really, really patient,” McIlroy said of his second round. “I feel like that patience was rewarded with a nice little stretch there in the middle of the round.”

He shot 66 on Friday to vault back into contention, starting Augusta National’s second nine with four consecutive threes en route to tying his career-low on that side (31). He will enter the weekend two strokes behind leader Justin Rose as he chases his first Masters and tries to complete the career Grand Slam.

The hope that surrounded McIlroy on Friday afternoon was a stark contrast to the frustration that followed him off the 18th green less than 24 hours earlier. Late mistakes marred what had been a flawless first round. A pair of double-bogeys on his final four holes turned his best Masters start in years into a 72 that left him seven shots off the lead.

But now another opportunity to win his first Masters awaits

“I just had to remind myself that I played really good golf yesterday,” McIlroy said Friday, “and … I wasn't going to let two … bad holes sort of dictate the narrative for the rest of the week.”

This will be the first time since 2018 that McIlroy is in the top five after the Masters’ first two rounds and just the third time in the past decade. The 66 also matched the lowest second-round score of his Masters career.

McIlroy played Friday’s first nine in 1-under 35. A 4 on the par-5 second was his only birdie on the first nine. But McIlroy started the second nine by making birdie on two of Augusta National’s toughest par-4s, the 10th and 11th holes. He eagled the 13th with a daring approach from the pine straw and added another birdie at 15, the same par-5 that he doubled the previous day.

It was just the third time in 60 career rounds at Augusta National that McIlroy shot 31 on Augusta National’s second nine. He also did it in 2015 (second round) and 2009 (fourth round).

It was an eight-stroke improvement over the previous day, as well. He rescued his Masters with an enthralling display that reminded why McIlroy is a perennial favorite here.

It started on the 495-yard 10th, where he hit a 177-yard approach to 3 feet. Then he hit a 351-yard drive on the 11th and followed with a 160-yard approach to 5 feet. He parred the famous 12th and opened the second nine with a fourth consecutive 3 after eagling the 13th.

McIlroy drove right into the pine straw on that hole and faced 190 yards to the green guarded by a tributary of Rae’s Creek. McIlroy has said this year that he is trying to curb his “impulses” on the golf course and play a more disciplined brand of golf, but he didn’t view this dangerous shot as a risk.

He did face a decision over which club to hit, however. He was vacillating between a 4- and 5-iron, ultimately choosing the longer club because balls tend to spin more from the pine straw. It proved to be the right choice. The shot stopped just 10 feet from the hole, though, coming to rest between the flag and the water. It likely would have been wet if he hit the 5-iron.

“I don't think it was really a decision to go for it or not,” McIlroy said. “But yeah, when the ball was in the air, I was like, you idiot, what did you do? … I rode my luck a little bit with that second shot.”

He blocked another tee shot into the pine straw on the next hole, as well, but he had a window to hit his approach shot onto the green. And on 15, he reached the green in two but only found safety by a slim margin. He joked about running to mark his ball because it wasn’t far from the slope that fronts the green.

“When the second shot was in the air, it was a little touch and go,” McIlroy said. Fortune favored him Friday, however. It was dramatically different than a day earlier, when McIlroy chipped into the water at the par-5 15th and made another double-bogey on the 17th hole after hitting his approach over the green. McIlroy was 4 under par when he arrived at the 15th hole on Thursday and behind only Rose.

He did not speak to the press Thursday but said Friday that he was surprised by the big bounce his chip shot on 15 took en route to the water.

“I was obviously surprised that I had done that,” McIlroy said. “I was so frustrated last night because I played so well, and you can make these big numbers from absolutely nowhere on this golf course, just like the most benign position.

“So, it was a good reminder last night that you just have to have your wits about it you on every single golf shot.”

It was a lesson learned, and one that will prove valuable with two rounds remaining.