Rory McIlroy marched straight on Friday, searching for answers after a second-round 69 dropped him off the early pace at the BMW Championship in St. Louis. Just 24 hours after opening with a sharp six-under-par 65 to share the lead, the Masters champion found himself grinding through a frustrating afternoon at Bellerive.
Shifting Winds and Errant Ball-Striking
Conditions across the course remained prime for low scoring, aided by soft greens. Yet McIlroy could not recapture the precision off the tee that defined his Thursday campaign.
According to RTÉ, the Northern Irishman pointed to a distinct shift in the wind compared to the opening round. The adjustment left him battling his iron play and missing fairways, yielding only a modest one-shot improvement to reach seven-under overall.
Short Game Scrambling Keeps Hope Alive
Despite the long-game struggles, his scoring clubs prevented a total slide down the leaderboard. “I’m proud of how I just hung in there. A lot of good par putts on the back nine, especially,” he added. “The only bogey I had was with a mistake on the par-five eighth hole, but I made some really good par saves coming in and that sort of kept me in it.”
Clark Commands the Bellerive Summit
While McIlroy worked on his mechanics, Wyndham Clark seized control at the top of the standings. Delivering consecutive rounds of 64, Clark moved to 12-under par to claim a narrow one-shot advantage over Gary Woodland, standing as the only player in the field yet to drop a shot.
Spaun Falters After Fast Start
American JJ Spaun threatened to break away during Friday’s early action, surging to 11-under par by the turn. A trio of blemishes on the inward half halted that charge, though Spaun salvaged the clubhouse lead among early starters at 10-under par by finishing with two late birdies, capped by a strong blow on the final hole.
Scheffler Claws Back Into Contention
World number one Scottie Scheffler also managed to salvage his weekend prospects following an erratic opening-round 72. After stumbling out of the gates with an immediate bogey on Friday, Scheffler ignited his scorecard with five birdies on the back nine, clawing back to three-under par and staying within striking distance of the leaders.
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