McIroy Fires Second Straight 66 for Four-Stroke Lead at Royal Liverpool


Rory McIlroy took care of his Friday issues as the 25-year-old Northern Irishman carded his second straight 6-under 66 at Royal Liverpool to take a four-stroke lead in the Open Championship.

After posting three birdies on each the front and back nines Thursday, McIlroy opened with his first bogey of the tournament on the par-4 first. But he then reeled off seven birdies the rest of the way to reach 12-under 132, four strokes clear of Dustin Johnson.

"Bogey at one from 80 yards, so I was thinking, 'That's not the best way to start.' But I knew the par-5s are where you can make a score on this course," McIlroy told an ESPN reporter

Before the start of the second round, pundits spotlighted McIlroy's alarming habit of following up a great opening round with a bad Friday. Just last week in the Scottish Open he opened with a course-record-setting 64 at Royal Aberdeen, but the next day skied to a 78 and barely made the 36-hole cut.

McIlroy had similar second-round woes earlier in the year after setting the pace with 63s at the Dubai Desert Classic and the Memorial Tournament. In those events he next shot a 70 and 78, which led to T-9 and T-15 finishes, respectively.

He told ESPN after Friday's round at Hoylake that he didn't do anything earth-shatteringly different than usual. "Stick to my game plan," he said to ESPN. "Just stick to your process, what you've been doing well . . . I've been in this position before and, thankfully, I've been able to get the job done."

If McIlroy finds his name atop the leaderboard at the conclusion of the 143rd Open Championship he will have won three of golf's four majors. He has prior victories in the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship; all that's lacking for a career Grand Slam are wins in the British Open and Masters.

After opening with a 71, Johnson fired the low round of the championship, a 7-under 65. The 30-year-old South Carolinian enjoyed a flawless Friday with seven birdies.

The eight-time winner on the PGA Tour will be paired with McIlroy in Saturday's final group, a match-up he savors. "I am always excited to be in the mix," he told reporters. "I had a lot of fun out there and tried to stay relaxed. I am swinging really well and felt comfortable over the golf ball. I am looking forward to it.

"I'm glad I'm in the last group and playing with Rory - but I've got to go out and play my game. I can't worry about what he is doing. I'll just go out there and try to shoot a good number."

Johnson is aware that Saturday's forecast includes heavy rains. The first two days were windy, but sunny and warm. "I couldn't be happier with the position I am in, but I have still got two more days of golf to play," he said. "It is depending on the weather, how the scores will play. I thought it was really tough out there, but I was able to shoot 7-under, which is a very good score on the second day."

Trailing McIlroy by six strokes are Italy's Francesco Molinari (70), Americans Ryan Moore (68) and Rickie Fowler (69), Spaniard Sergio Garcia (70) and South Africans Charl Schwartzel (67) and Louis Oosthuizen (68). Schwartzel and Oosthuizen have both won majors.

Tied for ninth at 139 are South Africa's George Coetzee (69), American Jim Furyk (71) and Scotland's Marc Warren (68). Sweden's Robert Karlsson (71), American Jimmy Walker (71) and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson (66) are share 12th at 140.

Another stroke back Denmark's Thomas Bjorn (71), Francesco Molinari's brother Edoardo (73), and Australians Marc Leishman (72) and Adam Scott. Scott had a brilliant 68 in Thursday's blustery afternoon, but the No. 1-ranked player in the world had a 73 in the second round.

Among the five players at 142 are England's Justin Rose; the 2013 U.S. Open champion won last week's Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen. Also at that number are Bill Haas, David Howell, Matteo Manassero - who ballooned from an opening 67 to a 75, and Stephen Gallacher.

Twelve players are tied for 31st at even-par 144. The group includes major champions Phil Mickelson - who opened with a 74 but rebounded with a 70 Friday, Jason Dufner (74), Keegan Bradley (71) and Darren Clarke (72).

Mickelson, the defending Open champion, carded an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole, two birdies and a pair of bogeys. Left said he overcame a "mental hurdle" in breaking par in a major championship for the first time in a year.

"Shot 2-under," he told reporters. "There was like a mental barrier to get it back to even par, so that (birdie) putt on 18 was big. It was good to be back under par in a major. That was very important to me and a big mental hurdle."

Playing only his fourth round since undergoing back surgery in late March, Tiger Woods followed up a promising 69 with a 77. The 14-time major winner made the 36-hole cut by only a stroke.

Woods had a horrible beginning to his second round. After a double-bogey, bogey start, he recorded 14 straight pars before a triple on the par-4 17th when his tee shot went out-of-bounds. He closed with a birdie for the 77.

"Yeah, I didn't hit the driver very good today," Woods said later. "And I was trying to be a bit more aggressive. With the wind the way it was, I could take some of the bunkers out of play and get it down where I sand wedge in the green. Angel (Cabrera) was doing that yesterday and did it quite effectively with a more difficult wind. And I figured today would be a chance to go out there and be aggressive and do that, take some of these bunkers out of play and just didn't drive it well."

Playing in her 37th Open Championship, five-time claret jug winner Tom Watson also made the cut right on the number after recording two 73s. "I came over here with a purpose to play my best golf and play on the weekend," he told reporters after his round. "Let's see what happens on the weekend. See if the old guy can maybe get it rolling a little bit."

Playing in only his fourth competitive round since undergoing back surgery in late March, Tiger Woods followed up a promising 69 with a 77. The 14-time major winner made the 36-hole cut by only a stroke.

Woods had a horrible beginning to his second round. After a double-bogey, bogey start, he recorded 14 straight pars before a triple on the par-4 17th when his tee shot went out-of-bounds. He closed with a birdie for the 77.

"Yeah, I didn't hit the driver very good today," Woods said later. "And I was trying to be a bit more aggressive. With the wind the way it was, I could take some of the bunkers out of play and get it down where I sand wedge in the green. Angel (Cabrera) was doing that yesterday and did it quite effectively with a more difficult wind. And I figured today would be a chance to go out there and be aggressive and do that, take some of these bunkers out of play and just didn't drive it well."

Playing in her 37th Open Championship, five-time claret jug winner Tom Watson also made the cut right on the number after recording two 73s. "I came over here with a purpose to play my best golf and play on the weekend," he told reporters after his round. "Let's see what happens on the weekend. See if the old guy can maybe get it rolling a little bit."

Furyk was paired with the 64-year-old Watson in the first two rounds and came away impressed with the links-course skills of the Kansas City native, who once again set a new mark as the oldest player to make the cut in a British Open. "It was pretty special playing with Tom, and the reception he got," said Furyk of Watson, an icon in the U.K.

"To watch him grind it out and make a birdie on the way in and make the cut was pretty cool. I was pulling for him pretty hard on 18. And he hit a lot of good shots down the stretch."

Among the notables to miss out on the weekend are Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, 2014 Masters champion Bubba Watson, two-time heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton, two-time Open champion and four-time major champion Ernie Els - the 2012 claret jug winner, David Duval, Webb Simpson and six-time major champion Nick Faldo.

No amateurs made the cut. England's Ashley Chesters was in good shape after opening with a 70, but the 24-year-old from Shropshire posted a 77 Friday. One stroke further down the leaderboard was Taiwan's Cheng-Tsung Pan. The senior at the University of Washington in Seattle carded two straight 74s.

For all the scores, visit http://www.theopen.com/en/Leaderboard.aspx.