Another subpar round at a tough Royal County Down has put the Northern Irishman himself in position to win the 2024 Irish Open midway through the event. Following an opening 68 with a 1-under 70 on Friday, Rory McIlroy enters the weekend 4 under par and just one stroke off the pace of early 36-hole leaders Laurie Canter and Todd Clements.
“The conditions were pretty good for the first 11 or 12 holes,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I could have done a little bit more to take advantage of them. But then, you know, as the sun went down, it got a little bit colder and the wind picked up, and then the last few holes played pretty tough. So I felt like I played pretty well coming in. Dropped a shot but overall, another under par round, pretty pleased.”
Starting his day on the second nine at Royal County Down, McIlroy meandered his round. A missed left off the tee cost the world No. 3 a hole at the par-5 12th before another missed left — this time with an iron in hand — at the par-3 14th led to his second straight bogey on that hole.
Unlike Thursday, when he followed up his bogey on the 14th hole with another bogey on the 15th, the 35-year-old made amends immediately. Connecting from just outside 25 feet, McIlroy circled his scorecard and began his march toward the top of the leaderboard.
An eagle on the par-5 1st from 12 feet helped, but a missed putt a few holes later on the par-4 5th ultimately left McIlroy at least one stroke behind heading into the weekend. While it may not be the pole position McIlroy was hoping to reach, it is one he is all too familiar with as he bids for his 41st professional win and 18th on the DP World Tour.
“I felt like the course was a little bit tough this morning,” McIlroy said. “We started on the back nine as well. So we had two par 5s and a playable par 4, so to just play the back nine at par, I was a little disappointed. But I came back and made an eagle on the [No.] 1 and that made me feel a little bit better and played pretty solid along the way. Feel like I missed a few shots but you know, I’m still in a good position going into the weekend.”
One man McIlroy has to watch is this summer’s winner at Canter. The Englishman has three straight birdies around the turn and is looking to cement his place in the Race to Dubai. A former LIV Golf member, Canter has the chance to become the first player to play on the rival course and then earn a PGA Tour card.
If he finishes the DP World Tour season in the top 10 among those currently not exempt, Canter will do so and set off an unprecedented streak if he accepts. A win would go a long way toward doing so, but even Canter isn’t looking that far ahead, with his attention focused on the big thing in the rearview mirror.
“It’s going to be a tough task to face Rory at County Down,” said Canter. “But we’ll see.”
