Just when it seemed he was coping with all that windy Augusta National could throw at him Rory McIlroy’s Masters debut went horribly wrong today.

And it appeared to leave the 19-year-old Northern Irishman shell-shocked.

Asked to speak to waiting reporters after dropping five strokes in two of the last three holes of his second round he told a club official: “I don’t feel like it right now.”

McIlroy had climbed from 39th place to sixth with a superb run that included a 10-foot eagle putt on the 13th, but then came to grief first of all with a four-putt double bogey on the short 16th.

His birdie attempt 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.

But worse was to come. Bunkered in two on the last he left his attempted recovery in the sand, could not get close with his next and needed three more for a triple bogey seven.

With a 73 he was one over, the expected halfway cut mark. And the drama continued when officials were asked to look at whether he had kicked the sand in between his two shots there on the last.

Eagle

If he had it would breach the rules and because he had signed his scorecard the punishment would be disqualification for not adding the penalty.

It left triple-chasing Padraig Harrington as the leading European after an eagle on the 13th put the Open and US PGA champion three under and joint 10th.

However, he was then also involved in a rules discussion when his ball was blown by the wind on the 15th green.

Because he had addressed it previously a one-shot penalty was imposed and instead of putting for birdie the putt he then sank was for par.

One further back were Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and 51-year-old Sandy Lyle, Scotland’s 1988 champion having five successive birdies from the 13th in his 70.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, bogeyed the 18th for the second day running and had to settle for a 72 for two under. Phil Mickelson was one further back after he matched Harrington’s eagle on the 13th.

Bogeyed

In the gusty conditions the course 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 teammate 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 two ahead of Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, who still had one to play, and three clear of 2004 Open champion Todd Hamilton - a long-awaited return to form for a player now ranked 373rd in the world.

McDowell thought he was going well until he looked up and saw what he called the “unbelievable” golf at the top.

The Northern Irishman carded a 73 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.

“I thought it might reach the water,” he said. “I played it as wind against, but it’s very difficult to pick it and it left me in a horrible place.

Leaking

“I was happy to walk off with a six in the end.” He needed two chips to make the fringe, sent a putt seven-foot by, but made it coming back.

“A 73 is a little disappointing, but I think the course is only going to get trickier.

“That’s Augusta - it gives and takes away just as fast. I couldn’t believe Chad had got to 11 under, but I see he’s leaking some oil now.”

Justin Rose’s birdies at the 13th, 16th and 17th took him to one under, while Ian Poulter, Houston Open winner Paul Casey and Luke Donald were all level par.

Poulter commented: “The back nine is as swirly as I’ve ever seen it - brutal compared to yesterday. Bizarre.”

He went in the water at the 12th despite switching from a nine-iron to an eight-iron.

“There are a lot of shots with danger and there’s not a lot you can do. If I’d hit seven-iron it would have been in the bushes and I’d have made loads.”

As it was he saved a bogey four with an eight-foot putt and parred in.

Ian Woosnam, whose mother died earlier in the week, bowed out on five over, while fellow former winners Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson showed their age sadly with 83s and Greg Norman’s return after seven years ended early too after he dropped four shots in the last six holes for a 77.

England’s Ross Fisher, five under after 16 holes yesterday, managed only a 76, but Oliver Wilson was three over after 13.

However bad McIlroy felt about his four putts 18-year-old New Zealand amateur Danny Lee, the youngest winner on the European Tour in history, could top it.

He six-putted the 10th for a nine and played the last nine in 47 for an 81.

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