Rory McIlroy’s birdie on the final hole on Friday to get under par keeps him in with a chance of Open Championship glory – although he’s likely to need some help from the rest of the field this weekend if he's to finally claim Major number five.
By the time McIlroy had finished his round, Brian Harman was safe in the clubhouse at ten-under, courtesy of a six-under-65, and nine shots ahead of the world number two.
Despite that, the four-time Major winner said he was “pretty happy” with his display so far, and added: “I don't think there's going to be a ton of players between me and the lead going into the weekend.”
The 24-time PGA Tour winner came to Hoylake, where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2014, as favourite for the title, his chances boosted by last week’s win at the Scottish Open.
He cancelled his pre tournament press conference to focus on his preparations, and opened his account with a solid, if unspectacular, level-par 71, and in a decent enough position to mount a charge on Friday.
After two birdies in the opening five holes, McIlroy was heading in the right direction, although he did miss further chances from close range to make real inroads.
With Harman rolling in putts at will, the gap at the top of the leaderboard started to get bigger, and McIlroy’s cause wasn’t helped when he dropped shots at 11 and the par-5 15th, two of easier holes on the course.
However, after tugging his drive into the rough on the 18th, McIlroy managed to leave himself a 15-footer for birdie – and this one he did take.
After signing for a second-round 70, a defiant McIlroy, said: “Right now it's not quite out of my hands, but at the same time, I think if I can get to 3-, 4-, 5-under par tomorrow going into Sunday, I'll have a really good chance.”
A potentially tricky position on 18. An impressive up and down.Rory McIlroy heads into the weekend under par. pic.twitter.com/MyYa14eeo5July 21, 2023
If McIlroy is to win a first Major in nine years, he may need Harman to come back to the pack.
However, from what he’s seen of the 36-year-old, a player who finished in a tie for sixth at last year’s Open, he’s not expecting him to capitulate.
“Brian is a pretty laid back unflappable sort of a guy, so I think he'll be okay,” said McIlroy.
“I don't know him that much, but obviously I've played a bit with him on Tour, and I think his ball flight and sort of the way he plays the game definitely suits this style of golf.”
