Rory McIlroy maintained his pursuit of the leaders at the BMW PGA Championship, carding a five-under 67 at Wentworth to sit at eight under overall. The Northern Irishman made a fast start with three birdies in his first five holes, and despite dropped shots at the eighth and 16th, he rallied with four strokes on the back nine, closing with birdies on the 17th and 18th.
McIlroy’s efforts were aided by the withdrawal of Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed, who retired due to injury while nine-over par for his round. Acknowledging the shift in the standings, McIlroy noted that the withdrawal provides an opportunity to regain ground lost during his recent outing in Ireland. He remains optimistic about his position, describing himself as being in a great spot for the final two rounds.
American Ryan Gerard currently leads the field at 12 under after a flawless 65 featuring five birdies and an eagle. He holds a two-shot cushion over Australia’s Adam Scott and Italy’s Filippo Celli, who share second place at 10 under. Manuel Elvira of Spain and England’s Aaron Rai sit one shot further back at nine under, while a group including McIlroy, Ryan Fox, Richard Fisher, Ignacio Elvira, and JJ Spaun follow at eight under.
Rai finished his second round with consecutive birdies for a 69, playing in a marquee group alongside McIlroy and Fox. Meanwhile, several high-profile players faced disappointment at the halfway stage. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka missed the cut at one over, joined by Tommy Fleetwood, who finished at three over after a 74. Jon Rahm struggled significantly, following an opening 78 with a 77 to finish last among those who completed their rounds on Friday.
The leaderboard heading into the weekend also includes Matt Wallace at seven under, with Sepp Straka and Alex Noren at six under. Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland sit at five under, while a group at four under features David Law, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, and Matthew Fitzpatrick. Justin Rose completes the notable contingent at three under. The report also notes that 12 R Gerard (US); -10 A Scott (Aus), F Celli (Ita); -9 M Elvira (Spa), A Rai (Eng). The report also notes that selected others: -8 R Fox (NZ), R Fisher (Eng), R McIlroy (NI), I Elvira (Spa), JJ Spaun (US); -7 M Wallace (Eng); -6 S Straka (Aut), A Noren (Swe); -5 L Aberg (Swe), V Hovland (Nor); -4 D Law (Sco), R MacIntyre (Sco), S Lowry (Ire), M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -3 J Rose (Eng). The report also notes that this weekend is a big weekend for me to pick up a few points and make the race even tighter going into these last few weeks.
