Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP RORY’S IN MEX
Mcilroy fails to live up to day one heroics but is still right in contention for Chapultepec title
RORY MCILROY found himself overtaken at the top of the Wgc-mexico leaderboard last night despite a blistering start to his second round.
The Ulsterman, 29, birdied three of the first four holes to move 11 under par for the tournament at Club de Golf Chapultepec near Mexico City having carded a 63 on Thursday.
That left him four shots clear of the field with a procession to his first title of the year firmly in mind.
But he faltered at the par five fifth with a bogey after finding the water and then again with four putts at the ninth where he eventually double-bogeyed the par four.
The back nine brought one birdie at the 14th but eight pars meant he and Matt Kuchar trail new leader
Dustin Johnson, on
11 under, by two shots.
The American added a four-under
67 to his opening day 64 in a bogey-free round.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods added to his collection of incredible shots as he fired a five under round of 66.
The 43-year-old 14-time Major winner rolled back the years by unleashing an amazing shot from a fairway bunker as he contemplates a charge at the title.
Approaching the ninth – his last – he pushed his tee shot into a bunker to the right of the fairway and found his path to the green blocked by the trees.
He appeared set to play a shot under the overhanging branches but then went back to the bag and reached for something with more loft. The American made perfect contact, cleared the trees and swerved his ball a significant amount from left-to-right in the air. As it hit the green, the ball gripped and spun rapidly towards the hole, coming within a whisker of finding the cup for the unlikeliest of eagle twos.
Unfortunately for Woods, he mis-read the birdie putt and settled for a par and a round of 66 which left him just six strokes adrift of Johnson heading into the weekend.
“The winning score here really hasn’t been all that low,” a buoyant Woods said afterwards. “You can get it going pretty good around this course, which is fun, but also it can go the other way without it taking much.
“I got a little more familiar with the course. I got a better feel for the tee shots, the lines, approach shots and the greens. It helped to have that one look in a competitive environment. Overall this was a pretty good day, I got a lot out of the round.”
Ireland’s Shane Lowry is tied 56th on four over.