Rory McIlroy brilliantly birdied his closing three holes to boost hopes of becoming the first to capture three FedEx Cup championship crowns in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mcllroy added a second round four-under par 66 and head to the clubhouse then sharing sixth place on day two of the Tour Championship on the host East Lake course.
And under the unique scoring format in this the remaining in the 2020/21 PGA Tour season it sees McIlroy, and in the bigger PGA Tour No. 1 title, at eight-under par.
McIlroy ended his round with money-list front-runner Patrick Cantlay continuing to lead by two shots at 14-under heading to the 12th hole and with Cantlay’s lead over McIlroy down to six shots and two fewer than the Irishman had been at the start of the round.
Clearly buoyed @McIlroyRory by a closing hat-trick of birdies 🐦🐦🐦 in his round of 66 day two @PGATOUR Tour Championship
And the benefit of range work post his first round @playofffinale 💪 pic.twitter.com/s9LnwZglOb
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) September 3, 2021
“It was very nice to finish with three birdies especially after that slow start”, said McIlroy.
“I drove the ball a bit better today and that was after some work on the range late yesterday, as I felt my ball position was getting a bit too far back with the driver and today, I straightened it out.
“I was proud how I fought back as I played a really good back nine to at least keep myself not maybe right in the golf tournament but I am a little closer had it not been such a good back nine”.
Aside from the closing three holes, McIlroy’s second round was a mix of four birdies and three bogeys through 14 holes.
Not for a first time in recent months, McIlroy commenced his round with a bogey in three-putting the opening hole from 30-feet and then found himself two-over with a dropped shot at four.
McIlroy posted the first of his seven birdies in sinking a 10-footer at the fifth and then after four pars it was back-to-back birdies on 10 and the par-3 11, and with his tee-shot on 11 landing just four-feet right of the flag.
He then moved to two-under for his round with a birdie at 13 but after three big steps forward at three of four holes of his inward half and McIlroy was on the backfoot in dropping a shot at 14.
Though McIlroy turned that all round with birdie putts of four feet at 16, 12-feet at 17 and then up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the last in holing a three-footer.
Clandeboyne’s Jonathan Caldwell soared his way with two eagles into weekend rounds of the 78th DS Automobiles Italian Open in Rome.
Caldwell eagled both the 12th and 18th holes in a three-under par 68 to work his way into the top-30 and also left to carry Irish hopes after Ardglass pro Cormac Sharvin bowed out.
Aussie Min Woo Lee, and winner of the recent Scottish Open, added a second day 68 to head the field by two shots at 10-under par.
MEANTIME …
Speculation is rife Royal Portrush will be handed the 2025 Open Championship after the R & A called a news conference next Wednesday with officials of the club.
Royal Portrush had waited 68-years in hosting the highly-successful 2019 Open won by Ireland’s Shane Lowry and now it seems almost certain the Co. Antrim club is to play host just six years on to a third Open on the Emerald Isle
