Hatton, Young bounce back
Among the weekend chasers, Tyrell Hatton posted a second‑round 66 and Cam Young rebounded with a 67 — performances that keep them in the conversation if conditions soften or the leader slips. Those low rounds are the sort of momentum plays that can convert a chasing field into a Sunday‑night battle. (youtube.com)
Tyrrell Hatton hit all 18 greens at Augusta National on Friday and still walked off the 18th with a bogey, which tells you how thin the margin was in a round of 66 that shoved him from 33rd into a tie for seventh at the 2026 Masters. Cameron Young made the same move from the other direction: he opened with a 73, then answered with a 67 that matched his best Masters round and left him tied with Hatton at 4 under par. Those rounds mattered because Rory McIlroy finished Friday at 12 under, six shots clear of Hatton and Young, so the chase only stays alive if someone behind him starts stacking birdies early on the weekend. Hatton’s 66 was not just low, it was rare at this course: Golf Channel reported he became only the third player since 1997 to hit every green in regulation in a Masters round, joining Jim Furyk and Kevin Na. Hatton has never looked fully comfortable at Augusta National, and Golfweek called the 66 his best score there, which is a useful clue about why one clean round suddenly changes the feel of his week. Young’s round had a different shape. Golfweek said he played his last 29 holes in 8 under par, which means the rebound started before Friday’s card was signed and carried through the second round. Young also arrived with more recent momentum than Hatton. The PGA Tour profile page lists him with a 2026 Players Championship win and No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, so a 67 at Augusta looks less like a surprise than a player finding the speed of the tournament again. The problem for both men is the traffic in front of them. Patrick Reed and Sam Burns were tied for second at 6 under after Friday, and Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and Shane Lowry were another shot back at 5 under, so Hatton and Young are chasing a crowd before they even get to McIlroy. That is why rounds like 66 and 67 feel bigger on Friday night than they do on paper. At Augusta, one dry, firm afternoon can freeze a leaderboard, but one softer weekend morning can turn a six-shot gap into a back-nine problem. (masters.com) So Hatton and Young did the one thing chasers have to do by Friday evening: they got themselves onto the first page of the board at 140, close enough that one hot stretch and one stumble from the leader can drag them into Sunday.
