AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 10 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy seized a commanding and historic six-stroke lead at a sun-drenched Masters on Friday to leave a leaderboard packed with major title winners looking up at the defending champion as the tournament reached the halfway point.
McIlroy is 12-under par heading into the weekend with Americans Sam Burns and Patrick Reed tied for second at six under and Englishman Justin Rose, Ireland's Shane Lowry and Britain's Tommy Fleetwood one further adrift.
McIlroy got off to a sizzling start and capped his day with birdies on six of the last seven holes, holding his club high in the air as the patrons erupted when he chipped in at 17 on a pristine day at Augusta National.
McIlroy said that a weight of expectation had been lifted since he won the Masters last year to complete the career Grand Slam, and he is playing with a freedom that no one else in the field can match.
"Even when I am missing the fairway, I say to myself, just keep swinging," he said.
His birdie on the last hole delivered him the biggest 36-hole lead in Masters history but McIlroy, who has suffered heartbreak at the tournament before, said he will take it one hole at a time.
"I know what can happen around here, good and bad. You don't have to remind me not to get ahead of myself around this place. We reset, and everybody goes back to even par tomorrow."
Despite a wobble in the middle of the round and some trouble with the driver, Northern Irishman McIlroy is in an excellent position to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles - and the first since Tiger Woods in 2002.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)
