LeBron James Hypes Rory McIlroy After Impressive Chip Shot on Hole 17 at 2026 Masters

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was impressed by how reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy handled hole No. 17 at Augusta National.

McIlroy hit a chip-in birdie to increase his lead on top of the 2026 Masters Tournament leaderboard during Friday's second round.

McIlroy went into his final hole of Round 2 holding a five-stroke solo lead.

He finished Friday's round with a final birdie on No. 18 to increase his lead to six heading into the weekend.

His 12-under 132 puts him ahead of both Patrick Reed and Sam Burns, who are tied for second place at 6-under. Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Shan Lowry are tied for fourth at 5-under.

Scottie Scheffler is outside the top 20 after struggling in Friday's second round, while Bryson DeChambeau is below the projected cut line after a triple bogey on his final hole.

McIlroy held a share of the lead after hitting a 5-under 67 during Thursday's Round 1.

That already marked one of the lowest first rounds from a defending Masters champion. Only Jose Maria Olazabal (1995) and Jordan Speith (2016) have hit below 67 to begin their title defense at Augusta National.

After starting out Friday's second round strong with three consecutive birdies, McIlroy flagged with bogeys on No. 5 and No. 10.

He bounced back down the stretch by hitting six birdies over his last seven holes, including a stretch of four straight highlighted by the chip-shot on No. 17.

McIlroy is looking to become the fourth player to successfully defend his Masters title after Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02).

The 36-year-old, who completed his career grand slam by defeating Rose in a playoff to win his first green jacket in 2025, said after Thursday's first round he thought that "winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one."