Rory McIlroy has been pleased with how he has responded to last week’s disappointment in Royal County Down after two solid rounds put him in contention heading into the weekend at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth.
McIlroy birdied two of his last three holes on Friday for a 68 to climb to nine-under-par and within four shots of unlikely halfway leader Matthew Baldwin as he looks for a second title at Europe’s flagship event and first since 2014.
“I think it’s really important, but also, it’s nice. I wouldn’t have liked the week off to just wallow in self-pity and whatever else I would have been doing if I had not played,” said McIlroy who can all but seal a sixth Race to Dubai title this weekend.
“To come back out and get straight back on the golf course and play a couple of solid rounds and give myself another chance at a really big tournament that means a lot to me, I thought it was important to do that and thankfully I have.”
The Holywood man has been battling a cough and that was reflected in his round as he made the turn only one-under for his day after birdies on 4 and 6 and a three-putt bogey on 8.
McIlroy ensured that he is still in the mix with 36 to play after birdies on 12, 16 and 18 which included a towering iron shot into the last to set up a make-able eagle chance.
“Played very solid. Didn’t make a ton of mistakes. I had a couple of nice up-and-downs when I needed to. It was nice to birdie two of the last three and get away with a par on 17, as well. Overall, happy with how I’ve finished the day, and you know, ready for the weekend.
“I feel good. If I look at the leaderboard, obviously the guys up there at the top have played very well over first couple of days. Maybe not a ton of experience in that position. And then Matteo is playing well again.
“But there seems to be a lot of the big guns are sort of around 7, 8-under par. Feel good about where I’m at and hopefully just continue to feel good about the game for the next two days.”
Meanwhile, very little went right for Shane Lowry on day two as he hunts a first DP World Tour title since winning here in 2022.
The Clara man is on six-under-par and in a share of 13th place after a round of 71 which included three birdies and two bogeys but crucially he was all pars from the 12th and he was disappointed not to pick up some shots late in the round.
But at seven shots back he doesn’t feel out of this.
“Frustrating. It was a bad round of golf but it is what it is, you move on. Only seven shots back and still have a lot of golf to play.
“It would have been nice to birdie one of the last two, there’s still plenty of positives to take from today but we move on.
“That was the story of my day, that’s golf unfortunately, we just move on, get out there tomorrow, in a nice position on a golf course I know and love so I will give it a rattle tomorrow.”
Tom McKibbin and Pádraig Harrington made the cut on three-under and two-under respectively after rounds of 71.
Both players left it late to secure their spots in the weekend with McKibbin finishing birdie, birdie while Harrington rolled back the years with an up and down birdie from 93 yards on the last to sneak in on the number.
“I played very nicely, slow start with two three-putts and wasn’t looking like my day. Made a nice birdie on 10 which gave me hope then another on 12. The six holes coming home are tough and in your head you are trying to get to 18 at one-under and birdie the last, got the bonus birdie at 16.
“The only putt I ran by the hole on 17 I hit it too hard and twice I hit putts where I didn’t trust the break and missed it so put myself under pressure on the last but I hit a cracking pitch where if I didn’t need to make birdie I would have been more cautious with it, but went at it and got the putt from six feet.
“We always want to make cuts, it’s a weird thing about us but we always like making cuts. I’m playing better than my score suggests this week so I am seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Not happy with my score but happy with how I am playing.”
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