Rory McIlroy, a native of Northern Ireland, is making scaled back modifications to his swing as he approaches the end of the season – yet his original game plan is still at the core of his strategy. Englishman Matthew Baldwin, in the meantime, maintained an impressive level of composure to secure a provisional lead in the BMW PGA Championship at Surrey’s Wentworth West Course. Despite this, McIlroy’s performance was strong enough to keep him in the running.
McIlroy, currently ranked third in the world, proudly asserted his competitive position following a second round score of 68 – consisting of five birdies and a single bogey – culminating in a halfway total of nine-under-par 135. This leaves him trailing just four shots behind the sole frontrunner.
The day’s matches were briefly disrupted for over an hour and a quarter due to a sudden thunderstorm, causing the second round to be halted with 18 contestants yet to finish. The cut-off stood at two-under-par, though this could potentially be lowered to one-under, depending on the performance of the remaining players.
Of the five Irish participants, four were able to pass the cut in one way or another: McIlroy (-9), Shane Lowry (-6), Tom McKibbin (-3), and Pádraig Harrington (-2). Unfortunately, Simon Thornton was not expected to compete over the weekend.
For McIlroy, the tournament ended positively – a noticeable contrast to the dramatic twists of his first round – as he achieved birdies on two of the final trio of holes, concluding with a score of 68. This result lands him in joint fourth place with Italian player Matteo Manassero, who continued his strong performance following last week’s successful run at the Amgen Irish Open.
McIlroy feels confident about his game, despite trailing behind players on the leaderboard. Despite top players performing impressively in the first few rounds, they lack the experience of being in leading positions. He does acknowledge that Matteo is having an excellent game. However, many prominent players are just seven or eight under par, which leaves him hopeful. This comes after last week’s disappointment at Royal County Down, where McIlroy finished second to Rasmus Hojgaard.
McIlroy opted to return to the game promptly after the disappointment, as he didn’t want to dwell on his loss. It was important for him to come back immediately to the golf course and play a couple of sound rounds. It gave him another opportunity in an important tournament that means a lot to him. In his words, it was a necessary move and he’s grateful for it.
Currently, McIlroy is falling just short to Baldwin by four, Norgaard by two and Rozner by one. However, when he emerged victorious in 2014, he was trailing by seven shots heading into the final round.
Lowry on his part, was quite dissatisfied with his performance. His round of 71 for 138 left him tied at 13th place, seven shots behind Baldwin. His round included four birdies and three bogeys. He was off to a great start with two birdies within the first four holes. However, his play stopped progressing after a birdie on the 12th, wrapping up with six consistent pars. “A bad round of golf, very frustrating,” said Lowry. Although he wished to hit a birdie in the last two rounds, he remains optimistic, as he believes he’s still in a favourable position in a course he adores. Despite the setback, he is ready for the weekend challenges.
Situated at 363rd globally and presently at the 99th position on the R2D merit order, Baldwin may not be a top contender. However, his solo win in the SDC Championship in South Africa last year is indicative of his firm grasp over the game’s tricks. He continues to navigate his golfing destiny with sheer determination.
Baldwin expressed, “I’m making an effort to play measured, pragmatic golf. I avoid taking super risky shots to avoid problems like getting short-sided. What’s been going great for me is my putting prowess, it’s helped me maintain momentum. So far, everything seems to be going quite well.”