GOLF: HOW DO you know when your time has come? Yesterday, as a gentle breeze brushed through the towering cathedral pines at Augusta National Golf Club to whistle destiny's call to a son of Ulster, Rory McIlroy – determined not to get ahead of himself – sought to orchestrate his own fate. Invariably, it meant hitting one fine shot after another. Putting the pieces together, bit by bit.

And, as this 75th edition of the US Masters provided us with a cast of characters that mixed the old guard with a new breed, it was McIlroy – all of 21 years of age and seeking to become the youngest winner since Tiger Woods made his breakthrough back in 1997 – who assumed the principal role in the quest for the Green Jacket.

On another beautiful day in the Deep South, McIlroy – who had entered the second round sharing the lead with Spain’s Alvaro Quiros – grew with each and every minute as the day progressed. While the Spaniard found a dose of reality, slipping backwards with a second-round 73, McIlroy, seemingly wiser and more mature than his years, went about his business with aplomb. It resulted in a 69 for 134, 10 under par, to lie two shots clear of Australian Jason Day.

Indeed, it was testament to the comfort zone in which McIlroy found himself that he would not drop a shot until the short 12th, an angelic-looking hole with the bite of a wicked temptress. That bogey ended a sequence of par or birdie which had run for the previous 29 holes. To his credit, he bounced back immediately with a birdie on the 13th.

He was the front runner, just as he had wanted. As McIlroy had put it after his first-round 65, “I don’t think there’s any position better than first . . . some people say they prefer to be in the lead, and some people say they prefer to be hanging around going into the back nine (on Sunday). But if you’re in the lead, you’re in pole position.”

With a number of experienced players making cases of their own – among them KJ Choi, who shot a 70 for 137, seven under, and former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, who produced a second 69 for 138, to get right into the mix – there was nevertheless something refreshing about the young brigade.

McIlroy’s magic inspired playing partners Jason Day and Rickie Fowler to also get into the business end of affairs.

Ogilvy’s move was a throwback to Winged Foot in 2007, where he moved with stealth to claim his only Major in the US Open. What made it more impressive is that his round started with a double-bogey seven, on the second. That acted as a wake-up call that served to produce six birdies and only one further dropped shot.

Now, with Ogilvy and Day, who shot a best-of-the-day 64, the Australians – who have never produced a winner of the Masters, despite all of Greg Norman’s close calls – have two genuine contenders going into the weekend.

“Thinking about the Aussie duck thing would happen after I won, ‘oh, I’m the first Australian (winner)’ – that’s probably not what I’m going to be thinking about when I’m out on the golf course. But obviously it would be a really nice thing for Australia for it to happen, for sure,” said Ogilvy.

Thing is, he’s chasing. And they’re all chasing McIlroy.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson had a tough day at the office, firing a 72 for 142, but intent on going into the weekend as a pursuer with something worth chasing.

“These next two days are my favourite two days of the year. There’s nothing better than playing the weekend here at Augusta, and to be a couple under par in a position where a good round in the mid 60s, you can make up a lot of ground out here.”

And while Graeme McDowell, who lost a ball on the 12th which led to a triple-bogey six, and Pádraig Harrington – battling through a neck injury – were set to assume the roles of spectators as the weekend drama played out, McIlroy played supreme golf. His only fallibility came with the putter as a number of real chances failed to be grasped.

Still, McIlroy’s haul of four birdies and that solitary bogey on the 12th ensured he continued to play his own tune as he claimed the halfway lead.

The synchronisation, so far, has been close to perfect.