The veteran Englishman had a dream start on Thursday, riding a hot putter to birdie his first three holes but missed the green on his second shot at the par-four first hole on Friday.

The twice Masters runner-up kept his cool to maintain his three-shot lead over defending champion Scottie Scheffler and two other players.

Rose grabbed the lead on Thursday with a sparkling round of 65 to sit atop a packed leaderboard.

The former world number one is seeking to add a second major championship on the back end of a career that includes an Olympic gold medal.

Rory McIlroy will also kick off his second round soon and has work to do to get his career Grand Slam bid back on track.

McIlroy got off to a solid start on Thursday, shooting four-under through 14 but a chip into the water on 15 led to a double bogey that zapped the Northern Irishman’s momentum.

A three putt on 17 resulted in another double bogey and dropped him to even par heading into the second round.

This is McIlroy’s 11th attempt to complete the set of all four golf majors.

World number one Scheffler avoided any pitfalls in his bogey-free round of 68 on Thursday and will look to continue his hunt for a third Green Jacket in four years on Friday afternoon.

Rain moved through the area overnight, potentially softening up the course and making Augusta National’s slick greens more receptive. Friday’s forecast is for increasing winds through the day and the chance of a passing thunderstorm in the afternoon.

“A lot of the strategy for this place changes with the conditions of the course,” Scheffler said earlier this week.

Past Masters champions and LIV golfers Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson are among those in danger of potentially missing the cut at the first major of the year.