Only one player has ever posted four rounds in the 60s at Masters and he didn't even win

Only one player in Masters history has recorded 60s in all four rounds at Augusta National, and he still missed out on the famous green jacket.

At the time of writing, an in-form Rory McIlroy is leading the Masters by six shots after the defending champion recorded a seven-under 65 on Friday to move to 12 under.

McIlroy, who became the sixth player to complete the career grand slam following last year's win, holds the largest-ever lead after two rounds as he chases back-to-back wins at Augusta.

Whether McIlroy can maintain his run of shooting in the 60s remains to be seen, but only three golfers have ever managed to win the tournament twice in a row.

Jack Nicklaus completed the double in 1965-66, before Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) picked up consecutive wins.

"I've built up a nice cushion at this point," McIlroy said during a press conference on Friday. "I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas."

In total, the Masters has had 56 winners, with 18 players winning on multiple occasions. Cameron Smith, meanwhile, is still looking for his first victory, despite a history-making run in 2020.

The former British Open champion became the first player in the 84-year history of the Masters to shoot four rounds in the 60s, when he recorded an impressive 67-68-69-69 scorecard in 2020.

However, the Australian was nowhere near eventual winner Dustin Johnson, who won the tournament at 20 under, five strokes ahead of Smith and Im Sung-jae of South Korea.

Johnson finished his final round with a four-under 68 to end the week on 268, breaking the Masters’ 72-hole scoring record by two strokes. In fact, the American became the first player in history to shoot two 65s at Augusta.

Still, it was a memorable tournament for Smith, who had no idea about the record until being told after the round. “It would have been cool to do that and win," he said after Johnson's unforgettable showing.

"I was actually saying I'd take 15‑under around here the rest of my career and I might win a couple. I honestly can't believe it. I put it down to scrambling and digging deep. But credit to DJ. He was just too good."

Cameron Smith has gone from second in the world to outside the top 200

Smith, who has five top-10 finishes at the Masters, missed the cut on Friday after finishing his second round at seven over for the tournament. The 32-year-old has now missed six straight cuts in majors.

Fellow Australian player Jason Day believes Smith has what it takes to bounce back.

“Cammy, he’s such a good golfer. The guy won the British Open, he won The Players. He was number two in the world. He’s an unreal golfer. He has a tremendous short game and really good wedge game,” said Day.

“So it’s unfortunate this golf course actually should suit him really well just of how good his game is. He’s a great putter, too."

Day added: “I think he might be going through a bit of a tough run right now, especially during the majors, because that’s hard to miss all of last year’s majors.”

LIV star Smith is currently ranked No. 222 in the world.