Justin Rose stays in Masters lead with some all-star company

Justin Rose kept his name atop the leaderboard Friday in the Masters, and he doesn't have to look far to see an All-Star collection of contenders lining up behind him.

U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is off to his best start in the Masters. Rory McIlroy made perhaps his greatest recovery at Augusta National.

Still lurking on the course was defending champion Scottie Scheffler.

Rose, who took a three-shot lead into the second round, made short birdie putts at both par 3s on the back nine that allowed him to atone for a few mistakes on his way to a 1-under 71. He was one shot ahead of DeChambeau (68), two clear of McIlroy (66).

Canadian Corey Conners currently sits two shots back of Rose. 

"That's the company that I expect to keep, and that's where I have tried to be my whole career," said Rose, whose lone major was the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. "I've been a top-10 player in the world for a decade or more. So yeah, this is nice to be back in that mix."

He set the target at 8-under 136 for Scheffler and the rest of the players in the afternoon, as the wind began to snap flags and cause uncertainty, a most uncomfortable feeling at Augusta.

This was the fifth time Rose had at least a share of the 18-hole lead at the Masters, and he has never done better than 71 in trying to follow that up.

Everyone else had to do a little more to stay in range, and it was particularly pivotal for McIlroy in his bid for the career Grand Slam. He had two double bogeys in his last four holes that ruined an otherwise good start on Thursday, leaving him closer to the cut than the lead.

And he played the front nine with one birdie and eight pars on Friday. But he came to life quickly, stuffing a three-quarter 8-iron to a foot on No. 10 and a