Rory McIlroy claims he still has the potential to win back-to-back major titles as he climbs up a crowded leaderboard to return to PGA Championship contention.
The Masters champion shot a bogey-free 67 at Aronimink Golf Club on Friday afternoon, bouncing back from a four-bogey opening-round tie of 74 to move within five strokes of the halftime lead.
Alex Smalley and Maverick McNeely set the pace at 4-under, while McIlroy made three birdies in tough scoring conditions to move the tournament to 1-over and remain in the hunt for his third Wanamaker Trophy.
McIlroy played alongside Jon Rahm (right), who was three shots behind Jordan Spieth.
The world number two told reporters his round “wasn’t that bad”, a day after his taunt summed up Thursday’s match.
McIlroy told reporters after the second round, “It was difficult to get a birdie, not only because of the wind the last few days, but also because of the placement of the hole.”
“I feel like the first few days they were really trying to stay the course.
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McIlroy gave a hilarious answer to a journalist who asked him to compare his first two rounds at the PGA Championship.
“They seem to have used up a lot of really hard pins. I think the guys who are here for the weekend should feel like they have a chance, depending on some milder conditions and maybe some more favorable hole locations.”
“It’s cohesive, but if you get it going with the wedges on the front nine and shoot four of five under, all of a sudden you’re in the thick of it. At five back, I feel like I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in the tournament, and that’s what I wanted to do today.”
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Alex Smalley and Maverick McNeely shared the lead midway through, with McIlroy back in contention at the PGA Championship
The four-over eight strokes that separated him from the lead and the cut mark matched the lowest in PGA Championship history, leaving some wondering if McIlroy could have done more to create more scoring opportunities.
“I think it’s a sign that it’s not a great set-up to have a leaderboard all this messed up,” McIlroy added. “I don’t think anyone can separate themselves when they are so tied down.
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Difficult conditions at Aronimink made it a battle for some players to qualify for the PGA Championship.
“It’s easy to get a lot of pars, but it’s hard to make birdies. It’s not that it’s hard to make bogeys, but I feel like a bogey is the worst score on any hole. There’s not much danger.”
“I think the setup was fine. The golf course was good, the pins were tough, the wind was as well. I always feel like a really good setup starts to spread the field out a little bit and brings everyone together instead of a great setup. I feel like that’s what happened the last two days.”
Gusty winds and difficult pins left bottlenecks around the course on a slow Friday, with McIlroy seen visibly frustrated as he faced a long wait between playing his tee shot and approaching the par-4 10th.
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McIlroy remained frustrated by slow play during the second round of the PGA Championship as he waited for his group to tee off on the 10th hole.
“It was late,” McIlroy admitted. “I definitely think (Segala’s lost ball) slowed us down in the middle of that round. There are some little parts of the course that could get clogged, but we’ll be fine.”
“The first two days of major championship golf always seem to go like this. We’re going into a Friday afternoon tee time at Augusta, and it’s one of the slowest rounds of the year. It’s Augusta, so I don’t mind going out, but it’s very slow at the same time.”
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