Rory McIlroy hasn’t won a Major title in nine years. Maybe that’s about to change.
The Northern Irishman came alive in a stunning back nine of 30 in adding a second round 67 to his opening 65 to sit on eight-under-par 132 at the midpoint of the 123rd US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, a stroke behind clubhouse leader Wyndham Clark.
Once again, McIlroy – who hasn’t won a Major since his 2014 US PGA triumph – is poised heading into the weekend.
McIlroy laboured on the front nine of his second round – having started on the 10th, he turned in 37 after one birdie and three bogeys – but moved into a higher gear on his back nine, coming home in 30 strokes which featured a late birdie blitz including a brilliant tee-shot to 18 inches for a tap-in birdie on the Par 3 ninth, his finishing hole.
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“I started thinking about winning this thing when I came here on Monday. No one wants to win another Major more than I do. The desire is obviously there.
“I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years or whatever it is, and I keep coming back. I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, a lot of ups and downs, and I keep coming back. And whether that means that I get rewarded or I get punched in the gut or whatever it is, I’ll always keep coming back,” said McIlroy.
Clark, whose best ever finish in a Major was the distant tied-75th he registered in the 2021 US PGA Championship, added a second round 67 to his opening 64 to assume the clubhouse lead on nine-under-par 131.
A breakthrough PGA Tour winner at last month’s Wells Fargo, Clark – currently 32nd in the world rankings having been 239th this time last year – again showed his good current form in a round which featured four birdies and a lone bogey.
“I didn’t have my best on the approach today, so I’m hoping I can improve that and feel comfortable going into [the third round]. But leading a Major at any point at any time is always a good thing,” said Clark.
Harrington signed for a second round 69 for a midway total of two-over-par 142 which looked likely to ensure the reigning US Seniors Open champion would survive the cut, just as he did in last month’s US PGA at Oak Hill.
“The damage was done yesterday [a 73]. I hit a lot of good putts yesterday that didn’t go in the hole. Okay, I come out there freed up a bit and I holed some putts, but then you’re always on cut line. I tried so hard ... you know what, every Major I ever come to nearly, except for the ones I was winning, I wish I had a week more. I did some good practice at home, but I kind of lost my way there the last couple of days. I wasn’t quite ready for it yesterday morning. Hopefully I get another couple of days here and certainly my mindset is on two weeks time at the [US] Senior,” said Harrington.
Harrington added: “Making the cut is not going to define anything in my career. I really hope I make the cut, but I want to go out there and play in a major and shoot some good scores. That builds confidence, so that when I come back to the next Major [next month’s Open] I feel comfortable in the environment.”
