Following his second round recovery at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Rory McIlroy admitted that had he been in that position – 5 over halfway through Friday and facing another missed major weekend – a couple of months ago he “would have been going home”. His words, and, more pertinently, four birdies on the back nine, weighed in for the case that the 24 year old might be spotting flashes of light at the end of a struggle that has driven speculation on everything from his clubs, personal relationships, devotion to the game and his mental strength in the face of adversity.
After the 12th hole in yesterday’s round McIlroy was level for the day and the tournament, but three birdies – at the 13th, 17th and 18th – put him on 3 under; 6 off the lead and tied for 7th. If talk of a potential emergence from a long running slump might have been greeted with caution on Friday, then following Saturday’s round it will certainly have gained conditional credibility.
Jim Furyk leads on 9 under, with Jason Dufner following his record equalling Friday round of 63 with a disappointing 1 over round of 71 yesterday. Furyk scored 68 and will hope his recent record of taking a lead into Sunday – he led four times at PGA Tour events in 2012, winning none – can be rectified as he chases his second major.
Graeme McDowell had a tough day, hitting a 3 over 73, putting on 2 over for the tournament. Darren Clarke and Shane Lowry will play together today, as both are tied on 6 over. Clarke scored 74, while poor putting saw Shane Lowry hole 2 birdies but still finish on 76.
- 1 Furyk -9
- 2 Dufner -8
- 3 Stenson -7
- 4 Blixt -6
- T5 Stricker -5
- T5 Scott -5
- T7 Westwood -3
- T7 Mcilroy -3
- T9 Streelman -2
- T9 Johnson -2
