text: Just another history-making day at this wonderful 79th Masters saw Dustin Johnson become the first man ever to have three eagles in one round and yet still he couldn’t lay a finger on Jordan Spieth. Following one stunning round with another happens about as often at Augusta National as pieces of litter drifting across the property. Here, the youngest first-round leader in Masters history followed his 64 with a 66 to set a new 36-hole record total of 14 under par, beating the old mark of 13 under set by Ray Floyd way back in 1976. It also tied the lowest 36-hole total seen in a major, set by three others, including Sir Nick Faldo at The Open. Jordan Spieth chips on the 17th hole during the second round of the Masters on Friday . Spieth watches his tee shot from the 16th in front of a packed crowd at Augusta . The 21-year-old walks past the scoreboard on the 18th hole following his sensational performance . Dustin Johnson eyes up a putt no the 18th green during his record-breaking display on Friday . Johnson started with a double bogey but positively pillaged the course’s scoreable par fives to devastating effect. He had eagles at the second and the 8th, birdied the 13th, before striking a wondrous blow to the 15th that pulled up 12 inches from the flag. The difference between him and Spieth is he makes far more errors and one at the last meant he had to settle for a 67. Johnson will start the third round seven behind his fellow American with game chorus line member Charley Hoffman two strokes nearer the lead following a creditable 68. Gutsy Englishmen Justin Rose and Paul Casey are on the same mark as Johnson, with the former weighing in with a fine recovery of his own. Rose was three over par after four holes but rallied strongly after drawing a line on his scorecard, like you’d draw a line in the sand. He played the last 14 holes in a plucky five under for a 70, while Casey underlined he is a man reborn with a terrific bogey-free 68. Phil Mickelson lies tied sixth after a 68, one shot ahead of Ernie Els (72), while Tiger Woods shot a commendable 69, his first score in the sixties in 15 rounds in majors, and his first here since 2011. He is still no fewer than 12 shots behind, mind. What of the world No 1, Rory McIlroy? Alas, if it’s Friday it must be time for one of those freaky nine holes that just kill him at the Masters every time. Ernie Els hits a shot off the fourth tee during his second day of action . Last year it was on the back nine and this time the outward half, as he followed a bogey at the 7th with a double at the 9th to turn in 40 strokes. It’s the sixth year in a row the Northern Irishman has thrown in a horrific nine like this and until he addresses the problem, he simply cannot win a green jacket. At least on the back nine he showed the pride of a current double major champion and the improvement he has made mentally from the days when his shoulders used to slump. One shot outside the projected halfway cut mark, he birdied the 10th and then, at the 13th, the hole that has given him so much trouble in the past, he hit his second shot to 3ft for a tap-in eagle three. McIlroy missed from 3ft at the 14th for a par but, in a rousing finish, birdied the 15th, 17th and the 18th. To the accompaniment of loud rumbles of thunder in the distance, McIlroy came home in just 31 shots to stand alongside Woods on two under. Tiger Woods shot a commendable 69; his first score in the sixties in 15 rounds in majors . Woods's girlfriend Lindsey Vonn watches on from the crowd during the second day of action . Texas golfers have a long and proud history of coming up with prodigious feats that stun the sporting world. Byron Nelson once won 11 events in a row on the PGA Tour in 1945. Ben Hogan won three major championships in succession in 1953 and probably would have won the fourth as well but for the fact The Open clashed that year with the USPGA. Now here comes Spieth, who to this point has turned this Masters into his very own ‘hello, world’ moment with an awesome demonstration of dominance the like of which we haven’t seen since another 21-year-old named Tiger walked away with the 1997 edition. All this on the day another Lone Star legend, Ben Crenshaw, waved goodbye to the Masters. It’s tempting to talk about a passing of the Texas torch, except Spieth is destined for a level of greatness twice Masters champion Crenshaw could only dream about. Think Hogan rather than Gentle Ben. Rory McIlroy reacts to a poor second shot on the fifth hole in what was a frustrating day for the World No 1 . Paul Casey tries to clear out of a bunker on the eighth hole . As for Tiger, his first round 73 was actually an awful lot better than his score and the reviews suggested. It was, in fact, the most encouraging signs we’ve seen for him for well over a year. His short game was back to its best and his task on Friday was to instil some rhythm in his long game. That is exactly what happened. The rare sight of him finding the first fairway was encouraging and even better was the laser iron that followed. It finished 10ft away and the birdie putt found the middle of the hole. For 15 minutes, it was like watching Tiger at his best. The rest of the round was also heartening. He reached the turn in 34 to be one under for the event and inside the top 20. Justin Rose flips his club into the air after the English golfer cleared a sand trap on the 13th green . Ben Crenshaw closed out his Masters career with two mediocre rounds at Augusta . A birdie at the 11th and he was on the fringes of the top ten. How he does over the final two rounds is one more fascinating question during a weekend featuring many. Els was trying to build on the small miracle of his opening 67. The South African finished eighth on his Augusta National debut in 1994. Two months later, at the age of 25, he claimed the United States Open. Everyone looked at his languid grace off the tee and gossamer touch around the greens and wondered how many green jackets he would win. Twenty years on, he’s still waiting for his first. But he’s still in there trying. Depending on your viewpoint, his 72 leaves him perfectly placed to take advantage if Spieth feels the pressure over the weekend; or well in the mix to notch his third runner-up finish at the Masters. Phil Mickelson lies tied sixth after a 68 just one shot ahead of Els .
target: Jordan Spieth is the youngest first-round leader in Masters history .
  Spieth set a new 36-hole record with his 14-under total .
  Dustin Johnson became the first man ever to hit three eagles in one round .