THE RORY ROADSHOW
McIlroy makes Seve weather of it but still manages to scrape through to the weekend
RORY McILROY summoned the spirit of Seve to conjure a miracle par save along a road then made two late birdies to squeeze inside the cut line.
But the unpredictable Northern Irishman also suffered a horror run of four bogeys in five holes to fall 10 shots off the early clubhouse lead.
American Kevin Kisner carded a second consecutive 67 to move up to eight under par on the tough Quail Hollow track.
And pre-tournament favourite McIlroy sits at two over after his pair of 72s. Just like Open champion Jordan Spieth in the first round, he took advantage of the short par 4s at the seventh and eighth holes to salvage a respectable score after starting on the 10th tee.
And like the American at Birkdale last month, McIlroy hit a thrilling Seve Ballesteros-style shot to save his skin.
After pushing his second shot at the opening par-5 10th on to a path, the world No.4 took a free drop.
He then bounced his 6-iron off the concrete and in and out of a bunker before stopping near the green. He chipped up to two feet for a stunning par.
McIlroy said: “It was really the only option I had. I dropped it in a pretty bad lie so I couldn’t carry it over the cart path.
“I just said: ‘OK, I’ll bounce it up the cart path and see where this goes.’ I was just trying to get it in the bunker and luckily I hit it with enough speed and it got up and out.
“That could have been a six or a seven quite easily.”
McIlroy picked up his first shot at the 15th when his bunker shot
ricocheted off Jon Rahm’s ball to roll to eight feet and he had another short birdie putt at 16 to get into the red numbers.
But he slumped after the turn, missing a series of short putts to fall to four over and outside the cut.
Big drives at the last three holes set up birdie chances – and he took the first two then left a putt on his last hole agonisingly short.
McIlroy said: “I feel a lot better with myself being two over instead of four over. I feel like I’m still right there in the tournament.”
The Irishman has twice won at Quail Hollow, including in 2010 when he closed with a 61, before the course was revamped last year.
He said: “A low round used to be a 61 or a 62. A low round now is a 66 or 67. You’re playing your ass off to get that.
“If I shoot two 67s over the weekend, I’m going to have a really good chance. I do feel I have two 67s in me – if I drive it a little bit better than I did today.”
Kisner has won PGA Tour events in the last two seasons but has never finished higher than 18th in his 11 previous Majors. That looks set to change and he said: “I’m excited about how I’m playing.
“I’m hitting it on the fairway a lot which is huge around here.”
Kiwi Ryan Fox, the son of former All Black fly-half Grant, shot a thrilling 66 in his first pro event in America to soar up to one under.
But Scots star Martin Laird missed the cut after following his opening 77 with a 72 to finish on seven over.
Laird was two under for the day after 11 holes before a double bogey and bogey killed his bid to sneak through.