McIlroy comes unstuck

Just when it seemed he was coping with all that Augusta National could throw at him Rory McIlroy four-putted on Friday and tumbled off The Masters leaderboard.

The 19-year-old Northern Irishman, having climbed from 39th place to sixth with a run that included a 10-foot eagle putt on the 13th, came to grief on the short 16th.

His first putt up the ridge ran eight feet past and by taking three more from there he fell back to two under - suddenly seven strokes adrift of Americans Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, was three under and up to joint eighth with one hole of his second round to go, but triple-chasing Padraig Harrington slipped back alongside McIlroy when he bogeyed the seventh.

In the gusting wind Augusta National showed far more teeth than it had on the opening day, but Campbell was still able to add a two-under-par 70 to his dramatic opening 65.

The 34-year-old Texan even reached 11 under after 10 holes, then bogeyed three of the next seven before closing with a 30-foot birdie putt.

Ryder Cup team-mate Perry did supremely well to keep a bogey off his card and with birdies on the first, second, 12th, 15th and then the last from five feet he was round in 67.

They were three clear of 2004 Open champion Todd Hamilton - a long-awaited return to form for a player now ranked 373rd in the world - and Argentina's Angel Cabrera, who still had 10 holes to play.

World number one Woods, resuming his bid for a 15th major on two under, mixed two birdies with two bogeys on the front nine, but made a chip-and-putt birdie at the 15th to climb to joint ninth.

Earlier, Graeme McDowell carded a 73 to be two under par and was left to rue a six on the long 15th, where he went for the green in two and saw his ball sail 40 yards over the green.