Rory McIlroy has promised to reveal the ‘key words’ he’s been saying to himself this week after storming to a four shot lead on day two of the 2014 Open Championship.
McIlroy looks in a class of his own taming the Royal Liverpool course for a second day running to move to 12-under par and well clear of his nearest rival American Dustin Johnson, who was joint runner-up to Darren Clarke in the 2012 Open Championship.
And after dispelling the ‘Friday Fright’ that has haunted McIlroy this year, he’s promised to reveal the ‘key words’ he’s been saying to himself should he lift the Claret Jug on Sunday night.
But the former World No. 1 spoke of an ‘inner peace’ that helped him get through what could have been another ‘Black Friday’.
”People call it the zone, people call it whatever,” he said.
Rory McIlroy making a point following a second straight round of 66. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffille.ie)
”It’s just a state of mind where you think clearly. Everything seems to be on the right track. I’ve always said, whenever you play this well, you always wonder how you’ve played so badly before. And whenever you’ve played so badly, you always wonder how you play so well. I’m happy where my game is at the minute. And hopefully, I can just keep up the solid play for another couple of days.”
McIlroy picked up his first birdie with two putts from across the green on the par-5 fifth.
But it was on the par-3 sixth, when McIlroy deposited an 8-iron to 7 feet for birdie, that he found that peace and put the pedal down on the rest of the field.
He ushered a pheasant off the eighth green, regrouped and holed a 7-foot birdie putt, chipped to tap-in range on the 10th and then kept giving himself chances on all but one hole until ending with three birdies.
McIlroy was in such a groove that with the wind at his back, he hit driver 396 yards on the 17th hole and pitched to 8 feet.
Rory McIlroy in an upbeat mood after his round of a second straight 66 to move four clear of his rivals (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
”Once I got to 7 (under), I felt like, ‘OK, this time I feel good. I can get to 8. I can get to 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,” he said.
The 17th hole is where Woods fell apart. He started double bogey-bogey and made only pars the rest of the way until his tee shot on the 17th was about 100 yards short and 50 yards wider than McIlroy’s drive.
Hanging his head, Woods was walking down the fairway when he was told it was out of bounds. Back at the tee, he hooked that shot closer to the 16th fairway and made triple bogey.
A birdie enabled him to make the cut, a small consolation considering what McIlroy is doing.
”It’s not a surprise. He’s done this before,” Woods said. ”Once he gets going, he can make a lot of birdies and he plays pretty aggressively to begin with. And when he’s going, he can get it going pretty good.”
As for those two secret words that keep McIlroy locked into what he’s doing?
”I’ll tell you on Sunday, hopefully,” he said.
