The Truist Championship is a $20 million signature event but, in its truest sense, it’s a warmup for the PGA Championship — for Rory McIlroy.
The Masters champ, being as respectful as possible, has stated that his goal this week at Philadelphia Cricket Club is to get his game in shape for next week’s major at Quail Hollow.
He’s got 36 holes remaining to do so, and he’ll need them.
On a rainy, chilly day in which tee times were bumped up and preferred lies were in place, McIlroy shot 3-under 67. Added to his opening 66, he’s at 7 under and five off Keith Mitchell’s lead.
“I felt like today was another sort of scrappy one. I made what I feel are some uncharacteristic mistakes compared to how I’ve played the majority of the year,” McIlroy said.
“So just got to try to iron that out over the next couple of days, try to shoot a couple of scores without as many bogeys on the card. If I can do that and just tidy it up a little bit, I feel like I’ll be in a good spot heading into next week.”
The weather conditions helped the course play a little more difficult Friday, following a day in which 10 players beat the previous Wissahickon Course record of 65, with Mitchell’s 61 leading the way.
“Yeah, absolutely. It’s a little more strategic,” McIlroy said of how the 7,100-yard layout, which is more than 100 years old but hosting its first PGA Tour event, played in Round 2. “Even today, heavier air, rain, a bit of wind. I draw back on a few holes and then I hit driver on a couple.”
McIlroy is a proponent of rolling back the ball, even though his stated approach this week was to bash the course into submission. Friday, he made six birdies and three bogeys; hit eight of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. Those were similar numbers to Round 1. But his longest drive Friday was 332 yards; he had nine tee shots longer than that Thursday.
“I think there’s a lot of debate about it, but if the golf ball just went a little shorter, this course would be awesome. Not that it isn’t awesome anyway, but right now for the distances we hit it, it’s probably 500 or 600 yards too short,” he said.
“It would be amazing to be able to play courses like this the way the architect wanted you to play them. So, yeah, like it does, it gives you a better appreciation when you play them in these conditions for sure.”
Shane Lowry posted the low score in Round 2, a 65 (which got him within one of the 36-hole lead). The worst opening-round score was 2-over 72; Friday, at least seven players were higher than that, with Justin Rose carding a 77.
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