Rory McIlroy drains an eagle and continues charge up Masters leaderboard

With nine holes to play in his second round, it looked like Rory McIlroy was headed home after just two days at the Masters. The world No. 1 made an ugly double bogey at the 9th to go out in 40, but since then, he’s been the hottest player at the Masters -- and that includes Jordan Spieth.

McIlroy came into the house with an absurd 31 on his second nine (which included a bogey!), and he’s now added an eagle on his second hole Saturday. After he smashed his drive 342 yards down the hill at the second, Rory safely put his approach in the center of the green some 37 feet from the cup.

The eagle puts him at 7-under par through his last 11-holes, a stretch that was good enough to move him from the wrong side of the cut line all the way up inside the top 10 -- a pretty quick turnaround for the guy trying to become the sixth player ever to complete the career grand slam.

Rory, of course, started the day 12 shots off the extreme pace set by Spieth, so he’ll likely need another eagle at some point on the card. There are chances at the 13th and 15th, which are typically easier to eagle than the second hole. If Spieth stalls out in the second round, and Rory can post a mid-60s number, he’ll at least have a chance on Sunday.

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