Rory left Shanghai and dry
Lewis can break Schuey’s world record.. because drivers don’t fear staying on too long any more
RORY McILROY, without a victory since March, is on a new low in Shanghai.
The Ryder Cup star, whose last triumph was in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, endured a back-nine horror show in the second round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.
McIlroy trails halfway leader Tony Finau by 16 shots after a second-round 77 that included a triple bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 16th.
But his Ryder Cup parther Justin Rose, bidding to regain world No.1 spot, fared much better.
Rose, who won the Shanghai title last year despite going into the final round eight shots off the lead, carded a bogey-free 67 to lie three shots behind Finau, alongside Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood.
“It was a bogey-free round so that’s pretty tidy,” the FedEx Cup champion said. “Those rounds don’t often come, especially in breezy conditions.
“I kept it mentally sharp and I felt like towards the end of the round I was making good decisions and good swings.
“I came into this tournament last year off a bunch of top 10s. I was feeling comfortable with my game and I feel a similar spot right now.
“Obviously there’s the added incentive of trying to get the 2019 PGA TOUR season off to a good start, so there’s the mental freshness that that gives you, but yeah, I feel like I’m in a similar spot.”
Rose played alongside new world No.1 Brooks Koepka, who appeared to be struggling with a back injury as he battled to a 74, which left him 13 shots off the pace on two over par.
American Ryder Cup star Finau added a 67 to his opening 66.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick began the day three off the lead but slumped to a second round of 80 to finish three over par. Lewis Hamilton (GB) 346pts Sebastian Vettel (Ger) ..276 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) ..... 221 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) ...... 217 Max Verstappen (Hol) .... 191 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) ..146 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) .... 61 Kevin Magnussen (Den) .55 Sergio Perez (Mex) ........ 54 Esteban Ocon (Fra) ....... 53 HAMILTON wins the title in Mexico unless Vettel wins, and Hamilton finishes eighth or lower, or Vettel fails to win. Schumacher Fangio Hamilton, Prost, Vettel
Schumacher Win pc Hamilton Win pc Vettel Win pc Prost Win pc Senna Win pc SIR JACKIE STEWART believes Lewis Hamilton can win more world titles than Michael Schumacher, because the fear factor has gone from Formula One.
The 79-year-old saw 57 drivers he considered friends perish during his career and led the campaign for safety improvements.
He won three world titles before retiring, fearing his luck would run out.
Hamilton will move alongside Juan Manuel Fangio on five world championships if he finishes seventh or higher in tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix.
But Sir Jackie believes it is not yet possible to judge where Hamilton stands in the list of the sport’s alltime greats.
He said: “Lewis has to be in the conversation. But that comes at the end of his career and he’s not there yet. You can see on the grid he still wants it and that’s partly helped by how the sport is now.
“If you look at his and the drivers’ faces before Sunday’s race, you’ll not see them particularly uptight as there’s not a serious risk of a fatality or major injury. The stress we had doesn’t exist for them now.
“In assessing Lewis’ greatness, that’s key. The risks are unlikely to be a factor in making his decision of when to retire. In truth, it means he can go on for longer.”
Sir Jackie added: “It’s so difficult to compare between such different eras. For example, I have absolutely no idea how I might have fared against Lewis. The way the sport is now, for Lewis it’s all about F1.
“In our era, we were racing F1, F2, touring cars and Indy Cars. I remember one year I crossed the Atlantic 86 times. It was just a different time.
“Jim Clark was the best driver I ever raced against while I thought Juan Manuel Fangio was the best of all time. What you’d have to say is that Lewis deserves to be discussed alongside them.”
Hamilton will be two world titles behind Michael Schumacher and Sir Jackie said: “I see no reason why he can’t go for it but it depends on certain factors.
“Will Mercedes keep going? You’d think so. Will Lewis keep going? At some point, he’ll suffer burnout. He’s got other passions in his life: the fashion, the music.
“But while he’s still enjoying it, you would back him to keep winning. Plus, there’s the factor of it being nice to stop while at the top.
“But the Schumacher record is breakable. Records are there to be broken.”
Hamilton has turned this season into a procession, and if he fails to convert his chance today he will still have another two races to retain his crown.
He said: “I guess if I was sitting and watching the Grand Prix on TV, I’d have liked it to go until the end of the season, but I’m not in that place.
“When you’re in it and you live it, you just want to get it, whatever the moment, the pressure is so intense. The faster the pressure will be removed, the better I’ll go.”