MASTERS TOURNAMENT: Leaderboard | Saturday tee times | Blog: Friday at Augusta | Daily Wrap-up

McIlroy, meanwhile, had gone the other direction at the end of his round, making three birdies over his last six holes for a 71, then he sat back and watched as the gap between he and Spieth continued to shrink (at one point during the day, as many as seven strokes separated the two).

We can only hope Spieth and McIlroy are still paired going into Sunday, too, the way Norman and Faldo were. But first things first.

For that to happen, they’ll have to forget about the player they're standing across from. There are still 36 holes to go and there are another dozen players within four shots of the lead.

Augusta National has also been more brute than beauty this week. Thanks to blustery conditions and some diabolical pin positions, just seven players are under par through the first two rounds.

On Friday, there were no rounds in the 60s for the first time since the third round of the 2007 tournament. Only four players broke par and the second-round scoring average was a whopping 75.02.

For these reasons, Spieth and McIlroy know they cannot get caught up with one another.

“I've been concentrating on myself out there, because if you start to think about anyone else ‑‑ I've only got the mental capacity to focus on me right now and especially how tough it is out there,” McIlroy said about dueling with Spieth. “Yeah, it would be great for the tournament and create a lot of buzz, but at the same time, I just need to focus on myself and make sure that I play another solid round of golf.”