AUGUSTA, Ga. — A winner in 1992 and making his 41st start at Augusta National Golf Club, Couples has seen a few things around here. And as he looked up at a familiar name at the top of the white leaderboards dotting the venerable layout, he came to a stark revelation.

“By the way, Rory (McIlroy) may never lose this thing again after last year,” Couples told caddie Mark Chaney on the 12th hole Thursday.

It’s a take that will eventually prove incorrect, but perhaps not anytime soon. The defending champ is back in a big way, having put aside the pomp and circumstance of his return down Magnolia Lane in order to focus on what would be an historic back-to-back performance.

After an idyllic close to his second round, he’s got one arm (back) in the jacket.

McIlroy got away with a few loose swings in the opening round, shooting a 5-under 67 that, by his estimation, deserved to be three shots worse. But the score was the score, and it gave him a share of the lead.

There were no such loose ends on Friday afternoon, as McIlroy took control of the tournament with some creativity during a pivotal golden hour – making birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 after errant drives into the trees, then bringing the patrons to their feet with a chip-in birdie from across the green on No. 17 to steal another one and take a commanding lead.

“I’ve certainly had times where I felt like in the zone or in that flow state or whatever you want to call it,” McIlroy said. “Maybe this afternoon was one of those times. I would say maybe not in the zone, but I definitely found a sense of flow those last few holes.”

The largest 36-hole lead in Masters history entering this week was five shots. It had been done six times before, most recently by Scottie Scheffler in 2022, and only once – Harry Cooper way back in 1936 – did the leader not go on to win.

McIlroy’s closing birdie, a downhill 6-footer to close out his round with four straight circles, polished off a 7-under 65 and sent him into the weekend at 12 under. It also bumped his lead to six shots, etching his name into another page of the Augusta National record books.

This place that had taken so much from him for so long now appears eager to repay its debts in short order, as McIlroy sits halfway to another Masters victory as he looks to become just the fourth back-to-back champion and first since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.

“I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point,” McIlroy said. “I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.”

Granted, it won’t be easy. Augusta National can vaporize a lead in a moment’s notice, a fact of which McIlroy is acutely aware from his 2011 collapse. Even last year, a five-shot cushion with eight holes to play almost wasn’t enough.

Patrick Reed, the man who beat him to the green jacket back in 2018, sits six shots back in a tie for second. One shot further adrift are a trio of McIlroy’s decorated Ryder Cup teammates:

Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, each eager to carve their own chapter of Augusta National lore. But there is no mistaking the fact that McIlroy is now in the driver’s seat in his quest to retain the green jacket he so dearly acquired last year.

“I just want to go out and play two good rounds again,” McIlroy said. “Obviously this golf course has certain characteristics that guys can get on runs, guys can make eagles. You hear roars all over the golf course. I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself.”

There is a clear freedom in McIlroy’s comportment this week. He spent the first few days soaking in the benefits of being the defending champion – attending the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Saturday and the Drive, Chip and Putt competition on Sunday. He savored the host role at Tuesday’s champions’ dinner, telling reporters that he planned to switch gears on Wednesday and focus on the competition.

Through 36 holes, it appears that simply a return to this hallowed property served as a salve for the questions surrounding his game in recent weeks. The sporadic form, the back injury that forced him to withdraw at Bay Hill, are all distant memories. Rory McIlroy is in full flight at Augusta National, and it’s a sight to behold.

After missing the cut, Couples won’t be a part of the tournament on the weekend. But he still spoke after his second round, and – hours before McIlroy distanced from the pack on the second nine – he doubled down on his original comments about the man that he’ll see at champions’ dinners for years to come.

“Rory might win every year. I said that yesterday,” Couples said. “I mean, he really could win five more of these.”

At the very least, McIlroy appears to have green jacket No. 2 squarely in his sights.