Rory off his greens in Philadelphia
Rory McIlroy's wedge play might be improving but his driving and putting let him down as he slipped four shots behind Ryder Cup hopeful Xander Schauffele in the BMW Championship in Philadelphia.
Less than 24 hours after firing an eight-under 62 to share the first round lead with Tiger Woods in the third FedEx Cup playoff event at Aronimink, the world number eight had to settle for a one-under 69 that leaves him tied for seventh on nine-under-par heading into today's third round.
Schauffele, who is hoping to beat off competition from the likes of Tony Finau and Kevin Kisner and win Jim Furyk's final wildcard on Monday, shot a six-under 64 to lead by two strokes on 13-under par from England's Justin Rose, who shot a bogey-free 63 in an event where he could dethrone Dustin Johnson as world number one by finishing solo second or better.
Scenarios for @JustinRose99 to become No.1 at @BMWchamps:
— Nosferatu (@VC606) September 8, 2018
With a win:
- if both DJ & BK finish worse than 2-way T2
With a solo 2nd:
- if JT doesn't win
- BK finishes worse than solo 14th
- DJ finishes worse than solo 17th#OWGR
As for McIlroy, he's still well in the hunt despite a frustrating day that a saw him hit just eight fairways and take 32 putts, making just one putt from outside ten feet.
"I didn't hit as many fairways and I got some really bad lies in the rough," said McIlroy who followed a birdie at the sixth with bogeys at the eighth and 12th before picking up birdies from close range at the 13th and 16th.
"With how undulating these greens are and where the pins were today, I couldn't really get to them.
"I just didn't hole as many putts. I missed a couple of short ones and I felt the greens were a little slower today. I couldn't get the ball to the hole and when I did I was reading too much break.
"I battled for the first 12 holes so it was nice to get a few birdies on the way in.
"I had two good chance the first two holes and didn't make them. I hit it to three feet on the fifth hole and missed it and I finally got one to go on six and felt like I at least got something going.
"But it's hard to stay patient after what I did yesterday. I didn't want to lose too much ground. I should have been a few better but hopefully that's the bad one out of the way."
Woods also had a disappointing second day and slipped five shots off the lead to tied 12th after a level par 70.
At the European Tour's Omega European Masters, Paul Dunne missed his seventh cut from 18 starts this year when he added a level par 70 to his opening 71.
The Greystones man birdied three of his last four holes but finished two shots outside the cut line on one-over par.
Japan's Hideto Tanihara shot a four-under 66 to lead by two strokes from defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, Dane Lucas Bjerregaard and American Doug Ghim on nine-under par.
On the Challenge Tour, Ardglass' Cormac Sharvin and Whitehead's John Ross Galbraith were the only Irishmen to make the cut in the Bridgestone Challenge at Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa.
Australia's Dimitrios Papadatos leads by four shots on 16-under par thanks to a second successive, eight-under 63 with Sharvin tied 29th on five-under after a 66 and Galbraith three-under after a 70.
On the Staysure Tour's European Tour Properties Senior Classic in Bulgaria, Brendan McGovern shot a one-under 70 to share tenth place, four strokes behind Magnus P Atlevi.
The Swede tamed the blustery conditions at Lighthouse Golf and Spa Resort, carding a five-under 66 to lead by a shot from Peter Baker and former Irish Open champion Stephen Dodd.
Kansas – Meadow 68; Maguire 69
Stephanie Meadow opened with a four-under 68 to lie just three shots behind leader Janie Jackson in the Symetra Tour's Garden City Charity Classic in Kansas.
She's tied for ninth at Buffalo Dunes Golf Club with Cavan's Leona Maguire tied 20th after a 68.
Meadow is third in the race for 10 LPGA Tour cards via the money list with Maguire 37th and within one win of the top 10.
The top 30 will also be exempt in the final stage of the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.
