Rory McIlroy at BMW Championship 2015: Friday Leaderboard, Score and Reaction
Rory McIlroy surged up the leaderboard during the second round of the 2015 BMW Championship with a six-under 65 on Friday. The effort left him at nine-under overall, five strokes behind tournament and FedEx Cup leader Jason Day as he walked off the course.
McIlroy came into the event ranking 17th in the playoff standings after skipping The Barclays and finishing 29th in the Deutsche Bank Championship. A strong finish this week would help set him up for a run at the title in the Tour Championship.
His performance Friday represented another step in the right direction. Let's check out how his second round played out at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. That's followed by a look at the updated leaderboard and a recap of McIlroy's day.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Round 2 Scorecard
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 35 |
| Score | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 31 |
| Overall | -3 | -3 | -3 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -6 | -7 | -7 | - |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 |
| Score | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 34 |
| Overall | -7 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -9 | -9 | -9 | -9 | -9 | - |
Tournament Leaderboard
Day 2 Recap
A weather delay caused the final portion of the opening round to get pushed into Friday. So McIlroy played the final six holes of the front nine (he started on the back side), carding pars on all of them, before a quick reset to prepare for the second round.
The four-time major champion posted a solid three-under 68 but found himself well behind the duo of Day and Jordan Spieth. The fellow members of the sport's next wave of superstars combined to score -16, including -10 for the Aussie, who had an outside chance at a 59 heading to the final hole.
McIlroy has become accustomed to the spotlight shining elsewhere as of late. He talked about the terrific play of his chief rivals coming into the event, as noted by Sky Sports.
"I feel like I've been flying under the radar a little bit for the last three months just because I've only played a couple of times," McIlroy said. "I feel like I'm sort of not being talked about as much, and that's not a bad thing.
"In that time period, Jason has done very, very well, Jordan has kept up his pretty good play, apart from the last couple of weeks, but that's golf, that happens. Rickie [Fowler] had a great week last week."
In the second round, the 26-year-old Northern Irishman reminded people why he was viewed as the next big thing after Tiger Woods before the rise of Spieth and Co.
His ball-striking was a lot more consistent, both off the tee and from the fairway. That's the hallmark of his game when he's clicking on all cylinders. He runs hot and cold with the putter, but he's able to give himself enough looks at birdie to make up ground, even if he isn't pouring in every mid-range putt.
McIlroy shaved off four strokes over the first nine holes, highlighted by a chip-in eagle on the seventh that really sparked the low round. John P. Borneman of the Pioneer Press joined a throng of people reminding others of the overlooked star's move up the leaderboard:
His strong play continued on the back nine as he added birdies on No. 11 and No. 14 to move into the top five. He started the round just inside the top 20. Benjamin Everill of the Australian Associated Press noted the quiet nature of the rise:
McIlroy closed out the bogey-free round with a par on the 18th. The well-rounded showing left him in a tie for sixth place at nine-under par with afternoon play ongoing.
While McIlroy had stretches of strong play since returning from an ankle injury, he wasn't showing the necessary form to capture the playoff championship. That changed Friday as he played 24 holes of efficient golf to climb up the leaderboard.
Chasing down Day and the other players at the top may prove difficult on a course that's been yielding consistently low scores. That said, his main goal is getting himself in position to play his best golf next week when the title will be up for grabs at East Lake, Georgia.
His play during the second round suggests he's getting closer to that level.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
