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WGC-Mexico Championship: McIlroy surges ahead with second-round 65

By Tyler Duke

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - MARCH 03: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his tee shot on the on the ninth hole during the second round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club De Golf Chapultepec on March 3, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - MARCH 03: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his tee shot on the on the ninth hole during the second round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club De Golf Chapultepec on March 3, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images) /
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Despite his seven-week absence from tournament play, Rory McIlroy appears to already be in top form, shooting a 6-under-par 65 to take the lead on Friday at the WGC-Mexico Championship

After a first round that was mostly uneventful aside from a late-round eagle on his way to a 3-under-par 68, Rory McIlroy looked like his usual self on Friday. Firing iron after iron at the flag, McIlroy opened with a flawless 4-under-par 31 on the front nine.

His momentum looked to be halted on the 12th hole. Playing aggressively, McIlroy went with driver off the tee and missed it left, leaving himself an awkward 40-yard pitch shot over a tree and bunker. He left it short in the bunker and failed to get up and down for par. The bogey dropped him to 6-under for the tournament and two shots off of Ross Fisher’s lead.

A pinpoint iron into the 225-yard par-3 13th gave McIlroy a bounce-back birdie. Sitting in the fairway a stroke behind the lead at 14, he delivered the shot of the day.

The eagle put McIlroy in the sole lead, and he wouldn’t look back. Another easy birdie at the par-5 15th put him at 10-under par, three clear of second place.

With the chance to extend his lead even further, McIlroy faltered a bit down the stretch. He rolled a 6 1/2-foot birdie chance by on the 16th and missed a short par putt on the 17th after having a look at birdie from just 21 feet. Looking to close strong, he hit a wedge in to just outside 3 feet on 18. Putting for a 64 and three-shot lead, McIlroy let another short one slip by. Despite finishing the round with -1.5 strokes gained putting, he shot a tournament-low 6-under-par 65.

Mickelson and Thomas in contention

Sharing the overnight lead with five others, Phil Mickelson had another strong day on Friday. With four birdies and one par, Mickelson mostly stayed out of trouble and set himself up for a chance to contend during the weekend. His saving grace on Friday was the flat stick. Mickelson gained more than 2.5 strokes putting, adding to his 1.7 total from Thursday. He showed it off in spectacular fashion on the 8th hole — his next to last hole of the round.

The birdie led Mickelson to a 3-under-par 68, placing him in a tie for second place, two strokes behind McIlroy. The two will create a marquee final pairing on Saturday.

Justin Thomas played his way into a tie for second with Mickelson thanks to a 5-under-par 66. Thomas’ back nine featured five birdies, including both of his final two holes. The world’s ninth-ranked golfer came into this week missing two of his last three cuts, but his game looks like it’s taking back the form that saw him win three times earlier this season.

Other notable scores

  • Dustin Johnson -6, T5
  • Jon Rahm -5, T8
  • Lee Westwood -4, T15
  • Rickie Fowler -4, T15
  • Sergio Garcia -3, T19
  • Jordan Spieth +1, T40
  • Bubba Watson +3, T48
  • Adam Scott +7, T68
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