Rory McIlroy put on a golf clinic on Friday. Most notably, he carded a 2-under 69 in the second round of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The Northern Irish golfer secured a tee time for the weekend in his first Masters appearance by shooting consecutive under-par rounds. This is quite the turnaround from his missed cut at the 2019 Open Championship, which took place in his home country.
McIlroy was sensational on the front nine, his two stellar birdies a sight to behold. In fact, he made them on the two hardest holes, the par-5 12th and the par-4 14th. Talk about clutch! Although he would have to overcome early adversity with two bogeys on the third and fifth holes, he made sure to keep his scorecard in good shape. His tee shots found the short grass seven times, contributing to an overall solid approach play that gained him +3.14 strokes and a putting gain of +2.43 strokes.
In reflecting on his previous experience at the Open, McIlroy said he was focused. “I feel like I let myself down more than I let the fans down,” he stated. He wants to do well for him, first and foremost. In addition, he says he gets inspired by the momentum he sees from the energized base of supporters around him.
With thoughts of the weekend now upon him, McIlroy spoke of wanting to get control and repetition to be key factors in his game plan. “I’m going to need to have it all under control and have it sort of all firing over the weekend to make a run,” he noted. His confidence in his abilities is evident as he declared, “I feel like my game’s definitely good enough to make a run.”
Home games and atmospheres like the one at Royal Portrush get Rory McIlroy all riled up. “It’s incredible to play in front of these fans,” he remarked, highlighting the unique energy that comes from performing in front of a home crowd.
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