McIlroy joint leader of Tour Championship in Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy is joint top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the European Tour’s Tour Championship after finishing his round five under par on Friday.
Bidding for a record-equalling eighth Order of Merit crown, McIlroy shot a two-under-par 70 which put him level with England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who carded 69.
The Northern Irishman overcame some hiccups on another windy day at the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates, making back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes, before closing out his round with a birdie.
Kristoffer Reitan was one behind, alongside Joost Luiten -- the lowest-ranked player to make it to the tournament -- following a second straight round of 70.
McIlroy can join Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie as the only eight-time European winner of the season-long title if he can overtake leader Eugenio Chacarra, who trails by six shots.
A win for McIlroy on Sunday would make any result for Chacarra meaningless as far as the Order of Merit crown goes.
“If I win the tournament, that’s all I can do,” said McIlroy. “If I go and I win the first trophy on Sunday, then the second trophy should take care of itself.”
McIlroy was impeccable the first 10 holes as he made four birdies without dropping a shot.
His first bogey came on the 12th when his drive found thick rough, followed by another on the 16th, where he found the bunker. On the par-three 17th, his tee shot came up short, and his first putt failed to reach the green.
“As it dries out, lies and fairways aren’t very good, and greens start to get bumpy. And I started to get maybe a little bit frustrated with the course on the way in,” said the reigning two-time Masters champion.
“I’ve been coming to this golf course for 17 years, and this is the toughest it has ever played. I have always associated it with low scores, and when it is not, I guess you have to reframe what a good score is. And anything in the 60s is a good score.”
Hatton, who made five birdies against two bogeys, said he was happy with his round, but surprised with his score.
“Overall, it was pretty solid. A couple of really poor tee shots on the seventh and the 12th,” said Hatton.
“It was weird to see that kind of creep in. It made me feel a little bit uncomfortable with the driver for the rest of the round, to be honest.”
Chacarra pumped his fist in celebration when he chipped in for a birdie on the final hole, after an inconsistent round with five bogeys.
“I have made 10 birdies in the two rounds, so clearly, my good is good. However, I am making a few silly mistakes, and I need to clean up those,” said the Spaniard.
“It’s one of Rory’s favorite courses and he has had so much success here,” said Chacarra.
“If Rory comes here and wins the tournament, he is a deserved champion. There’s nothing I can really do.”
Patrick Reed, third in the Order of Merit, will have a mountain to climb to become only the second American player after Collin Morikawa to be crowned European No1 after a round of 77 dropped him to five under par.
