Rory McIlroy has made the weekend of yet another major tournament after a fine second round at the PGA Championship.
McIlroy was facing a fight to make the cut after his opening round at Aronimink, where he shot a four-over 74.
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But the six-time major winner recovered with a superb three-under 67 to take his tally for the first two rounds to one-over.
McIlroy has now analyzed his second round of the PGA Championship, as well as suggesting his strategy for his remaining days at Aronimink.
Rory McIlroy suggests his strategy for the weekend of the PGA Championship
When asked if he will be patient or aggressive in round three, McIlroy told ESPN: “It looks like conditions will be a little more favourable tomorrow and Sunday.
“It enables you to be a bit more aggressive and fire at some pins. But at the same time it does not look like there is any rain forecast, so the course is going to get a bit firmer, which makes the greens play a bit more difficult anyway.
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“I think you are going to have to pick and choose your spot, but it’s been a great test the last couple of days.”
The Northern Irishman also discussed one key area of his game after Friday’s round, saying: “I needed to try and find the feeling with the driver.
“I felt like a lot of the bogeys I made yesterday were from hitting it in the rough and wayward drives.
“I felt like I found a feel last night and I definitely drove it much better today and was able to give myself opportunities to make birdies, but was able to limit the mistakes and not have many bogeys on the card.
“It was a day to get back into the tournament and I felt like that is what I was able to do.”
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McIlroy did indeed improve off the tee from round to round, hitting eight of 14 fairways on Friday compared to five on Thursday, as well as hitting the ball further on average.
Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
Rory McIlroy highlights ‘brutal’ hole locations at Aronimink
It was a tough day for many of the early starters in round two, with world number one Scottie Scheffler among those having to deal with the cold and windy conditions.
Such conditions markedly improved as the day went on, but one common theme that many players had difficulty with involved the pin positions.
Discussing if the course is playing tougher than people thought it would, late starter McIlroy said: “I think the wind is a big part of that the last two days, but some of these hole locations the last couple of days have been brutal.
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“They have been very, very difficult. It’s not only hard to get your second shots close, but also to get a lag putt close. It seems to want to wander by three or four feet every time.
“It’s a really bunched leaderboard because I think guys are finding it difficult to make putts out there and anyone who makes the cut tonight has to feel like they are in the golf tournament.”
Scheffler labelled some Aronimink pins “absurd” as he carded a one-over 71, which leaves him on two-under and in contention to defend his title.
Leading the PGA Championship, however, heading into the weekend are Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy on four-under.
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Read more:
Rory McIlroy says if he agrees with Scottie Scheffler’s remarks as he complains about Aronimink setup
The mistake Aronimink made which has really affected slow play at the PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler sets worst ever personal record on day two at the PGA Championship
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