McIlroy bogey in up and down day so far

New York Times

2 days ago

Follow live coverage of day two at Royal Portrush, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler chasing Matt Fitzpatrick at The Open Championship Getty Images
The second round of the 2025 Open Championship is rolling along at Royal Portrush.
Matt Fitzpatrick leads the way at 10 under with 2023 champion Brian Harman and Haotong Li two shots back. Harman had a 65 today, while Li shot a 67.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is three shots back. Local favorite Rory McIlroy (-3) is finished for the day after shooting 2-under 69. Leader: -10 — Fitzpatrick
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McIlroy -1, Fleetwood -1, Thomas E (5)
Fleetwood with a nice birdie attempt, good line and length and pace, par. He is three under through four and looks more settled than yesterday, when he looked a little hurried and frantic.
JT, similarly, has the right idea with the birdie putt but sweeps it in for par.
McIlroy, sloppy. A 12-footer for par, he pushes it shakily, short and wide. Bogey.
Two bogeys, two birdies, and a par so far. He needs to settle down a bit! Getty Images
Today's early wave really need to take advantage of the relatively genteel conditions this morning.
There's the odd drop of rain in the air but the wind isn't too bad and the Met Office forecast more difficult conditions this afternoon.
06:00-12:00: 'Small chance of drizzly showers at times, before scattered showers develop.' Rain : 0-1mm 10% 3 mm
: 0-1mm 10% 3 mm Wind: S or SE 10-13 gust 14-18 mph, becoming S or SW 8-12 gust 12-16 mph
12:00-18:00: 'Scattered showers around the area, small chance of becoming heavy at times.' Rain : 0.5-5 mm 10% 10 mm
: 0.5-5 mm 10% 10 mm Wind: S or SW 8-12 gust 12-16 mph, soon changing W. Perhaps variable 3-5 mph for a time, then changing to N or NW 5-10 gust 10-15 mph by 1800hrs Getty Images
MacIntyre -2, DeChambeau +6, Rose -2 (6)
The faultless run is over for Justin Rose. He fluffs a difficult chip off the slope that rolls back off the green and behind him.
There's an outside chance of him saving par, but he can't make it stick and Rose drops back to 2-under with his first bogey in 24 holes.
It leaves Haotong Li as the only player yet to drop a shot, although he is yet to start his second round.
Robert MacIntyre is alongside Rose at -2 too, playing well and arguably better than his 2-under so far today. Getty Images
McIlroy -2, Fleetwood -1, Thomas E (3)
McIlroy's second shot puts him on the wrong side of the green, but with a decent third shot, he should clean up for par, which considering the difficult of his second stroke from the bunker, isn't bad.
Thomas with a conservative second stroke, taking his medicine, 22ft for birdie, a likely par.
Fleetwood on an awkward slope from the rough, safely onto the green, inside (though not by a huge margin) the white stakes marking out of bounds.
Reckon these three will be happy to wrap up with pars and get out of dodge pretty quickly. Getty Images
Thompson +7, Burmester -2, Hoshino +1 (13)
The momentum monster out at Royal Portrush right now? How about Dean Burmester.
The South African had an up and down start to his second round, having dropped a couple of shots via three bogeys in his opening six holes.
The tables have turned now though. Four birdies across six holes — at 7, 9, 10 and 12 — has taken him to 2-under for the championship and one of the key movers in the last hour. Getty Images
McIlroy -2, Fleetwood -1, Thomas E (3)
What else did I ever expect from the maddening, mercurial Rory McIlroy Experience? The Northern Irishman groans as soon as he hits his tee shot on five, exclaiming 'Argh, too much, idiot ', I think.
It's a pretty terrible shot and he finds the rough left.
To be fair, Thomas is in the thick rough on the left, not far from the spectators, and Fleetwood is in the rough on the right!
What kind of appetite for risk do they have with their second shots on the par-four fifth?
We've got some good responses out there in the leading bunch.
Tyrrell Hatton (-4) dropped a shot, somewhat surprisingly, at the fifth after leaking wide off the tee and not really recovering the situation from the rough.
But to within eight feet of the pin on the sixth sets up the birdie reply and Hatton is swiftly back to 4-under.
Rasmus Højgaard (-4) experienced similar at the seventh, having to reload off the tee after going wide and wild right. He plays the eighth beautifully to ensure he rounds out the front nine with a 2-under 34. Getty Images
McIlroy -2, Fleetwood -1, Thomas E (3)
Fleetwood chips it nicely, his par putt from inside four feet is missable, but makeable too. Par.
Thomas for birdie, unlucky. Needed a smidgen more pace, and the ball just leans leftward. Easy par.
McIlroy looks to respond to a bogey with a birdie, and he does! Chants of 'Rory! Rory! Rory!' from the stands. Three really nice shots, starting with that driver.
English -5, N.Taylor +6, Finau -2 (3)
A putt from lengthy range is an outside look at a birdie at the par-3 third for Harris English. It doesn't quite have the legs but it's a good sign that Harris is playing well here, and he could yet extend his lead with a fair wind.
Tony Finau did pick up another shot though, to put himself back to 2-under — which is closing in on striking range.
McIlroy -1, Fleetwood -1, Thomas E (2)
On the fairly challenging fourth hole, McIlroy whacks it down the middle nearly 350 yards. Wonderful second shot, too, to within six feet. Brilliant chance of a birdie.
Fleetwood found the rough to the left and is still off the green after his second. Thomas on the green, albeit a fair way away. Par most realistic for him here, I reckon.
Spieth E, Åberg E, Hovland -1 (4)
Positions being recovered on day two here include Jordan Spieth and Ludwig Åberg, who are both level par for the championship and 2-under for their day with birdies at Nos. 2 and 3.
It had been even better for Viktor Hovland, who birdied the opening three holes to channel his inner Tommy Fleetwood. He too pars the fourth and sits four shots off the lead. Getty Images
English -5, N.Taylor +6, Finau -1 (2)
Here we go! The second has been giving up shots all day and Harris English takes advantage with a chip for eagle that paves the way to a birdie four.
With that, English moves into the outright lead at 5-under for the championship through two.
The big leading group is now the chasing pack.
As for Nick Taylor and Tony Finau, they also leave the second with a birdie. Getty Images
McIlroy -1, Fleetwood -1, Thomas E (2)
McIlroy, surprisingly standing in the fluffy sand of Royal Portrush, with a pretty decent shot. It has plenty of pace on it, aggressive, and scoots past the hole. It'll be a near-17-footer for par. Knowing him, he'll probably sink it.
He doesn't. Par putt within three feet, and he makes bogey. Grimace from the Northern Irishman.
JT for birdie from 30 feet... oh! Judges it beautifully but it just pauses on the very edge, six inches away. He throws his hands at the ball, Harry Potter spell-style, drawing widespread laughter from the gallery. He eyeballs it, hoping it will drop eventually. It does not.
He taps it in with the slightest nudge.
Tommy Fleetwood goes THREE birdies in a row! What a start from Tommy! This whole group looks in good nick so far, McIlroy's poor shots aside. Getty Images
English -4, N.Taylor +7, Finau E (1)
We're up to five of our eight players in the leading group at 4-under now on the course, as Harris English survives the difficult first with a par.
Case in point — both of his playing partners for these opening two days come away with a bogey.
McIlroy -2, Fleetwood E, Thomas E (2)
On the opening shot on the 166-yard par-three 3rd, Thomas and Fleetwood find the green, around 24 feet from the hole.
McIlroy, meanwhile, follows them down there because he's a totally consistent player... Just kidding .
His ball dances around the edge of a bunker before stopping on a slope on its edge. Frankly, he might have rather been in the sand, given his chipping prowess.
It will be a right awkward old sloping chop on that angle now. Getty Images
Molinari +1, Svensson -1, Graham (a) +7 (15)
Who's hot right now? Jesper Svensson is hot.
The Swede is running at three consecutive birdies through 12, 13 and 14 — before taking the par at 15.
It puts him into the red for the day and the championship after a difficult front nine this morning, and that's still just three shots off the current leaders. Getty Images
McIlroy -2, Fleetwood E, Thomas E (2)
A fantastic fourth shot from McIlroy, a wonderful wedge, catches the slope of the green and takes him to seven foot, giving him a makeable shout at a par save. And he curls it right to left and in!
The duality of McIlroy, and of man: both the brilliant and the bad, wrapped up in the same hole. Might have been an eagle if he'd hit the fairway!
Thomas' eagle putt is well judged but rolls by. He'll have a six-footer for birdie, and makes it.
Then Fleetwood from seven feet for birdie... holed!
Great start for this trio so far.
You can't win The Open today, but you can definitely lose it…
So the cliche goes on each of these first three days.
Right now, we have a projected cut of 1-over ahead of moving day — but we'll see how that changes through the day. I imagine the top of the leaderboard will start heading north of the 4-under mark soon enough.
It's like a bottleneck right now.
McIlroy -2, Fleetwood +1, Thomas +1 (1)
Tell a lie... the ball is unplayable, and McIlroy couldn't even see it really. He takes a drop in the thick grass and a penalty stroke.
The Northern Irishman will do very well to escape with a par here, and pretty well to escape with a bogey.
Royal Portrush, and Rory, both giveth and taketh away. McIlroy does whip it up onto the fairway, a nice clean strike from where he was.
Thomas on the green after two, Fleetwood 12 yards from the pin just off the green.