Rory McRoy is in prime position to challenge for his second Amgen Island Open title, holding a two-shot lead on his home course.
The world’s third-ranked player followed up his first-round 68 at Royal County Down on Friday morning with a one-under 70, including an eagle, a birdie and two bogeys to finish at four under for the weekend.
McRoy, the 2016 champion, surprisingly failed to take full advantage of the favorable conditions on the back nine, bogeying the par-3 14th for the second straight day before birdieing the next hole, the par-4, from 27 feet.
Rory McIlroy aims for second win at Amgen Island Open
McRoy’s highlight of the round was an 8-iron to 15 feet for an eagle on the par-5 first hole (his 10th hole of the day), but he dropped a shot on the par-4 fifth and finished with four pars to finish tied for fourth, two shots behind Mateo Manassero.
“I wanted to take advantage of the easier conditions this morning,” McIlroy admitted. “You won’t see Royal County Down (RCD) playing any easier on the first nine holes.
Rory McIlroy to play four more DP World Tour events in 2024 after Irish Open
“And then as the sun went down it got a little bit colder and the wind started to blow in a different direction. But it was just a matter of making sure we were here for the weekend and giving it a chance. We just got things done for the first two days and turned our attention to the weekend.”
Manassero shot a third-round 66, eagling both par-5 holes to top the leaderboard, with the Italian one stroke ahead of previous leader Todd Clements and fellow Briton Rory Canter.
Matteo Manassero is looking for a sixth DP World Tour title and his second of the season.
Alejandro Del Rey leads the tournament, two shots behind McRoy, despite a quadruple bogey on the four-par 15th hole, while Shane Lowry is five shots back and will be hoping to challenge McRoy for the title after a second-round 69.
“I know I can go in there and challenge,” said Rory, who won the title as an amateur in 2009. “I think (Sunday’s matchup with McIlroy) is what the tournament wants and needs.
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“Of course me and Rory are there. It would be nice if we could both run on Sunday. You never know. It would be nice to have a match on Sunday. We’ll see.
“It’s up to me to get there. I’m sure he’ll get there anyway.”
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