During the RBC Heritage Classic’s second round, a signature event on the PGA Tour with a $20 million prize pool, Rory McIlroy scored a commendable bogey-free 68, ending with a seven-under-par 135. While he was unable to mirror Ludvig Aberg’s performance step-by-step, the Northern Irish golfer remains a contender as the weekend approaches.
McIlroy’s short game proved to be his ace card, enabling him to maintain an untouched scorecard even when not all elements of his game were up to par. Joining him at this score was Séamus Power, with both golfers trailing four shots behind clubhouse leaders Tom Hoge, Sepp Straka, and Collin Morikawa.
In this round, Aberg, McIlroy’s playing partner and fellow European Ryder Cup star, outperformed him by scoring 66 to 68. However, the world number two golfer managed to have a positive outing, which augurs well for the tournament’s upcoming crucial stages. The highlight of McIlroy’s participation was birdies on the first, twelfth, and fifteenth holes and a noteworthy short game, particularly visible when he engineered a beautiful recovery on the 18th.
Running on the coattails of his Masters debut runners-up accolade received only last week from Scottie Scheffler, Aberg continued his solid performance. Aligned with him at 132 was Patrick Rodgers, just one stroke shy of leading the clubhouse.
Commenting on the tournament, an enthused McIlroy remarked, “It was indeed a test of patience, slightly more today than yesterday. However, we remained resilient, strictly adhering to our objectives, and concluded with a birdie-birdie, which was quite a bonus on those holes. Naturally, I’m highly satisfied with our progress.”
The young Swede, only into his second year as a professional golfer but already ranked seventh globally, voiced his excitement about the forthcoming weekend games. His consistent strategy on the golf course is to continually aim for fairways and greens, and sometimes, he joyfully finds them closer, as was the case in his recent games. His non-participation at the Augusta National showed no adverse effects as he managed to sustain his opening score of 65 with a 70 for 135 in the next round. His second-round performance was peppered with three birdies – the fifth (from a distance of six feet), sixth (from 18 feet), and ninth (from 15 feet). However, he endured two bogeys, the 12th – when his approach led him to a bunker and the 15th when he found himself in the right rough off the tee.
Conversely, Irish golfer Shane Lowry ended on a low note, with a disheartening bogey as he failed to get his approach to the green on the 18th, landing in the native area instead. Consequently, he rounded off with a 72 and a total score of 142 at midway, which is at level par. His round saw birdies on the second and fifth holes, however, dropped shots on the fourth and eighth holes led him to return with a 36. The second half of his game was consistent, scoring eight consecutive pars before eventually succumbing to a bogey on the last hole.