ESPN slammed for coverage of Rory McIlroy moment during The Masters

Golf fans were furious with ESPN after the broadcaster missed a key moment in Rory McIlroy's spectacular round two at The Masters.

Following on from an impressive start to the defence of his Masters title on Thursday, McIlroy put in another stunning performance in the second round to give him a strong chance of retaining the green jacket.

The Northern Irishman started his defence by shooting 67, five under par, in his opening before returning on day two with a score of 65, seven under par, leaving him at a record 12 under par heading into the weekend.

Although there were several key moments throughout the two rounds, perhaps the most impressive came on hole 17 in his second outing as he holed a glorious chip in from 30 yards out to move to 11 under.

The shot was watched by millions and quickly went viral online, but viewers on ESPN later discovered that they didn't even get to watch the shot live.

Instead, ESPN's coverage of The Masters focused on Norway's Victor Hovland walking after taking a shot, with the roars of fans watching McIlroy's shout going in on the 17th hole heard in the background.

Seconds later, the moment was finally shown to fans watching on ESPN, but the reaction during the live coverage of Hovland spoiled the shock and excitement that many other fans watching live enjoyed.

Here’s the moment ESPN misses Rory’s stunning chip-in on 17 in favor of Victor Hovland walking, killing any drama.

As the crowd roars a flustered Scott Van Pelt coughs and stammers.

They then fake the replay as “live” without the customary “a moment ago at 17” qualifier. pic.twitter.com/vKycJKCDSB

— Kevin O'Neill (@ExtraHalfPoint) April 10, 2026

Describing the shot after his round, McIlroy said: "It was tricky enough it was up and over.

"I couldn't see the bottom of the flag, so all I saw were the patrons standing up on the grandstand. It had a chance, and then it went in.

"That's just, benefit of having a lot of experience around here is knowing even if you're right of that green, whether you're front right, pin high right, back right, what the different shots are going to be like. So I laid it up in a good spot and hit a good chip. Bonus that it went in."

McIlroy's performance in the opening days means he heads into day three with the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history, handing him a strong chance of becoming only the fourth player to retain the title.