By STEVE REED AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — When former Santa Clara University star Matt McCarty knocked his tee shot on the 180-yard, par-3 sixth hole at the Masters to within 8 feet to set up his first birdie and then sank a bending 28-foot putt for another on the par-4 seventh, his mother knew exactly what was coming next. She could tell just by her son’s strut he was about to go on a heater. “He tends to do that,” Deanna McCarty said. “He gets in kind of a rhythm, and you can just see it in his walk. You can see it in how he carries himself. He did it in college, and he did it on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he just gets hot. He just gets super focused and locked in.” McCarty was so locked in that he wound up shooting a 68 to sit in a fifth-place tie, just three shots behind leader Justin Rose. Rose did just enough keep the lead, only he suddenly has a lot of company going into the weekend at Augusta National. Bryson DeChambeau became the only player with consecutive sub-70 rounds and got within one shot, putting him in the final group. Right behind was Rory McIlroy, who tried to erase from his memory that sloppy finish in the first round and roared into contention to put the career Grand Slam back into view. Scottie Scheffler started his title defense with 24 straight holes without a bogey. He then made five bogeys over the last 12 holes to slow his progress. He still was only three shots behind. Things certainly didn’t look so promising for McCarty at the beginning on Friday. Five holes into the second round, the 27-year-old tour rookie McCarty thought his first Masters appearance was going to be a short-lived one. He was 3-over par for the day and 2 over for the tournament with the cut line looming. And then the left-hander from Scottsdale, Arizona, settled down, and strung together eight birdies over the next 12 holes. It not only assured he’d be playing over the weekend, but also vaulted him near the top of the leaderboard at 5-under 139 for the tournament. “Yeah, 100%, I was thinking about the cut,” said McCarty, who followed up a 71 on Thursday with a 68 despite a bogey on 18. “I didn’t really hit a good shot until 6. I think that was my first green of the day. I knew if I got back to the basics and kept it simple I’d be all right. “I didn’t get too rattled,” he added. McCarty had plenty of support to help keep him calm at Augusta National. Nearly two dozen family members and friends came to watch him play, including his parents, two sisters and his girlfriend. They rented three Airbnbs in the Augusta area and have been celebrating his inaugural appearance at the Masters all week. McCarty spent three seasons on the lower level Korn Ferry Tour, where he won player of the year in 2024 and earned his tour card following three wins. He secured a spot in the Masters when he won the Black Desert Championship — he shot 23-under 261 — in just his third career event on tour. McCarty isn’t the first newcomer to play well at the Masters. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg finished second to Scottie Scheffler for the green jacket last year. McCarty remembers his first visit to Augusta National when he was 11, but his biggest takeaway was the tasty Moon Pies and sweet tea after walking up a bunch of hills. He played four practice rounds here last week to get reacquainted with the terrain and learn the speedy greens. He called it “my own little tournament,” although the results weren’t so great. “I would have been a lot closer to making the cut than I am now after these first two days,” McCarty joked. Despite gaining some confidence from the practice rounds, McCarty admitted he was riddled with butterflies in his stomach when the tournament began. But he quickly turned that into a positive. “Yeah, 100%,” McCarty said. “I think you’ve got to kind of just reframe that. I think I’ve learned over the last few years, reframe that nervousness into excitement. Who’s not excited to come out and play in the Masters? Who’s not nervous to come out and play in the Masters?” If things go astray he can always lean on the support of his family, who’ve religiously followed him around the course cheering on every shot. “Honestly, this is all still so surreal,” Deanna McCarty said. “But we’re so proud of him.” Rose has certainly taken notice of those on his heels. “The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there,” Rose said after his 1-under 71, which featured birdies on the par 5s on the front nine and on the par 3s on the back nine. “So you’re going to have to play great golf, and you’re going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it,” he said. “It’s as simple as that, really.” Rose took a three-shot lead into the second round and had the advantage of playing early, before the wind became strong enough to make flags snap and create just enough indecision. He hit a 9-iron over Rae’s Creek to 4 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th, and he stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 16th for another birdie. That allowed him to atone for a few mistakes. He was at 8-under 136, the third time he has had the 36-hole lead at the Masters. The buzz came from behind him. DeChambeau picked up an unlikely birdie by holing a bunker shot on the par-3 fourth hole on his way to a 32 on the front nine that kept him on Rose’s heels the rest of the way. He wound up with a 68 for his best start ever in the Masters. “This is what golf is about,” DeChambeau said. “Got a lot of great names up there, and looking forward to an unbelievable test of golf.” AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf