Scottie Scheffler records a 2-over 74 in the second round of the Masters.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Following his first round over par at Augusta National Golf Club in three years on Friday, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler will need to perform exceptionally well over the weekend to regain his position in the 90th Masters.

Scheffler encountered difficulties on the back nine, hitting two balls into the water on par 5s and losing more than a stroke to the field on the greens, ultimately finishing with a 2-over 74 in the second round.

He stands at even par after 36 holes and was seven strokes behind defending champion Rory McIlroy as he exited the 18th green.

This marked the first occasion Scheffler finished over par in a Masters round since recording a 3-over 75 in the second round in 2023. He tied for 10th that year at 4 under, eight strokes behind the champion Jon Rahm.

Friday’s performance ended Scheffler’s streak of 11 consecutive rounds at par or better, which ranks as the third longest in the tournament’s history. Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods holds the record with 16 straight rounds at par or better from 2007 to 2011, while Rahm had 15 consecutive rounds from 2018 to 2021.

“I felt like it was really challenging,” Scheffler stated. “I played quite well. It became very difficult late in the day yesterday. Then today, I felt like I performed better than my score indicated. I got off to a slow start with a few missed opportunities early that I should have converted. However, I managed to fight back to even through 12 holes.”

The two-time Masters champion found himself in an early setback when his tee shot landed in a greenside bunker on the par-3 fourth. He chipped to 7 feet but missed the par putt.

On the par-4 fifth, Scheffler’s approach shot came to rest on the fringe. His putt from 33 feet fell 6 feet short, leading to a second consecutive bogey.

“I would like to make a few more putts,” Scheffler remarked. “I felt like the ball was rolling nicely today, but they just weren’t falling. Perhaps my reads were slightly off. I felt like I was starting online, but maybe the speed was an issue on a couple of putts. Overall, I believe I played better than my score reflects.”

Scheffler regained even par for the round with birdies on No. 8 and 10. He narrowly missed an eagle putt on the par-5 eighth after hitting his approach from 274 yards onto the green. His high approach on the par-4 10th finished 4 feet from the hole.

However, Scheffler made two significant errors on the back nine. On the par-5 13th, his 291-yard drive landed on a sidehill. He attempted to hit a 3-iron shot around the corner, but the ball did not draw enough and ended up in a tributary of Rae’s Creek in front of the green.

His chip from the drop zone finished 16 feet from the hole, and he two-putted for another bogey, bringing him to 1 over for the round.

“I just tried to swing with the slope and didn’t catch it solidly, which caused it to hang out there,” Scheffler explained. “But that was a shot I felt I could get close to the pin, so I thought it was worth the risk.”

Then on the par-5 15th, Scheffler’s second shot from 241 yards struck the back ridge of the green and rolled down the slope into a pond, resulting in yet another bogey.

“It was frustrating to get back to even, have a couple of par-5s ahead, and then not execute well,” Scheffler said. “[I] wasn’t able to convert anything significant coming down the stretch.”

Scheffler has previously overcome large deficits. In the 2024 Players Championship, he trailed Wyndham Clark by six strokes after 36 holes and Xander Schauffele by five after 54. Scheffler ultimately won by one stroke, becoming the first back-to-back champion at TPC Sawgrass.

He will require a similar performance — along with considerable assistance from others — to secure a third green jacket on Sunday.

“Anytime you achieve success on this golf course, it can only enhance your confidence,” Scheffler noted. “To succeed here, you must execute many aspects correctly. It would be unwise to say that it doesn’t provide some confidence heading into a tournament like this.”