Rory McIlroy at PGA Championship 2015: Friday Leaderboard Score and Reaction
Following a solid opening round in his return to competitive golf after suffering a ruptured ankle ligament, world No. 1 Rory McIlroy turned in a similar second round Friday in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
The Northern Irishman finished the day in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, with another one-under 71, which put him in a tie for 21st place overall at two under, five strokes behind leader David Lingmerth. Here is a look at the current leaderboard with full results available at PGATour.com:
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McIlroy was able to keep his head above water and remain in contention, but he was fairly inconsistent stringing together birdies and eagles:
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 37 |
| Overall | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | E | E |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 34 |
| Overall | E | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 |
Although McIlroy didn't play his way out of the tourney by any means, his score was somewhat disappointing since the course played much easier Friday than it did Thursday, per Craig Dolch of the Palm Beach Post:
There were definite question marks regarding McIlroy's health entering the first round, but he answered them and didn't seem to be at all affected by his ankle. When asked about his health, the 26-year-old star didn't seem concerned, according to Gerry Ahern of USA Today: "The ankle is fine, just as it is walking and practicing. It's the exact same, no different. As you can see out there, the way I'm hitting the ball and the way I'm getting around the golf course, I have full confidence in it. It doesn't bother me one bit."
The four-time major champion started the second round on the back nine and played clean golf through the first six holes as he parred all of them.
McIlroy, who is the defending PGA Championship winner, played in the same group on Thursday and Friday as reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth and 2015 Open Championship winner Zach Johnson, which made for a competitive environment.
Spieth and McIlroy carded matching birdies on the par-five 16th, which got Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel excited about the potential next chapter in their friendly rivalry:
"Rory McIlroy & Jordan Spieth get to -2. This story getting better by the minute.
— Kelly Tilghman (@KellyTilghmanGC) August 14, 2015"
McIlroy hit a major speed bump just two holes later, though, as trouble around the green resulted in a double bogey on the 18th. He dropped to even par for the tournament at that point and left himself with plenty of work to do.
It didn't take long for McIlroy to get those two strokes back, however, thanks to a huge eagle on the par-five second hole.
As seen in this video, courtesy of the PGA Tour's official Twitter account, McIlroy's short game was back on point as he sunk a beautiful chip for a three:
Following three straight pars, he converted his second birdie of the round on the par-four sixth, which put him at three under overall as he inched ever closer to the lead.
As much as golf giveth, it also taketh away, though, and that was on full display on the seventh. McIlroy was seemingly in position to pick up a routine par, but his putter failed him, resulting in his first bogey of Friday's round.
McIlroy was able to steady the ship by parring each of the last two holes, but he certainly would have liked to have put himself in a better position entering the third round.
A couple of great rounds this weekend could allow McIlroy to vie for his third career PGA Championship win, but recent history isn't on his side.
According to Golf Channel's Justin Ray, the past eight major winners have been much higher up the leaderboard through two rounds than he is currently:
Also, he was outside of the sweet spot of at least four shots within the lead when his round ended with Dustin Johnson yet to tee off for the day:
Even if McIlroy doesn't end up making a run at the lead, he exceeded the expectations of many by being competitive in this tournament. He isn't far removed from a major injury, so simply making the cut is a pretty significant accomplishment.
He has his work cut out for him if he wants to compete with the likes of Spieth and Johnson near the top of the leaderboard, but he has to be feeling at least somewhat confident.
McIlroy is always a threat when he is in the hunt, and the fact that one great round could put him in the thick of things gives his fans and golf followers in general plenty of reason to watch Saturday's third round.
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