McIlroy Remains in Contention

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy remained in contention at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, with a second round 72  score left with a midway total of 138, six-under, in a four-way share of second place. 

Without a win since the Quail Hollow championship some 13 months ago, McIlroy’s 72 left him alongside Americans Ricky Barnes (70), Jonathan Byrd (67) and Australian Rod Pampling (67) on 138, three shots behind leader Steve Stricker, who shot a 67.

Although lacking the all-round flair of his opening round, the 22-year-old Ulsterman – critical of his approach play – was upbeat about his prospects heading into the weekend.

“It would mean a lot (to win). This is one of my favourite weeks of the year, on one of my favourite golf courses. To win here, with the list of champions that there’s been on this golf course, including (host) Jack (Nicklaus) himself, I’d love to put my name on that list,” said McIlroy.

Unfortunately for him, despite claiming six birdies, he simply made too many mistakes yesterday, including two bogeys on the front nine, where he had short irons in his hand hitting approach shots from the middle of the fairway.

“You can’t do that sort of stuff. But, you know, I was happy with how I handled stuff. I did make mistakes, but it seemed every time I made a bogey I came back with a birdie to rectify it. I just need to limit the mistakes going into the weekend,” he added.

After picking up three bogeys in his opening six holes, McIlroy responded well to be two-under on his round playing the Par 4 14th where he ran up a double-bogey six to a treacherous pin position.

“Some of the pin positions out there today were pretty tricky. It’s sort of reflecting why the scoring isn’t as low as sometimes it usually is here. . . I’m frustrated with some of the mistakes I made, but I’m happy enough.

“You know, I’m thereabouts going into the weekend. There’s still a lot of golf left to play. I know that and everyone else knows that. I just need to just limit those mistakes.”

Monty Sets Wrong Record in Wales

Colin Montgomerie has another memory of Celtic Manor to add to last year's Ryder Cup – his worst 36-hole score on European soil for more than 20 years.

On a day when Sweden's Alex Noren took over the lead in the Wales Open with a second successive 67 and has the defending champion, Graeme McDowell, only one behind, Europe's triumphant captain last October slumped out of the event at 15 over par. Montgomerie followed his opening 78 with a 79 and had no doubt what the biggest problem was – his age.

"I'm not 25 any more," said the Scot, who turns 48 in less than three weeks turns 48. "I think it does show sometimes. It's good being busy but it takes its toll trying to compete against guys less than half my age only doing this.

"Playing well last week [his seventh place at Wentworth was his first top 10 for almost three years] I thought I could perform well again. But I just played awful. I'm very disappointed not to be playing at the weekend, never mind contending. I'm one of the last names on the board."

The last time Montgomerie had two higher opening scores in Europe was the 1991 Benson and Hedges International at St Mellion. He shot 80-81 there.

Montgomerie failed to make it through a 36-hole US Open qualifying event on Monday and faces the same thing at Sunningdale this coming Monday to try to earn a place in next month's Open.

"It's become very important. I've not had a year where I've not competed in a major before [not since 1989 at least] – I've played in The Open 21 years in a row and I want to keep that record going."

If he is not part of the Sandwich action next month, it could be that the man with five runners-up finishes – three US Opens, one Open and one US PGA – will never play another major.

Noren is looking forward to his US Open debut, his first major in America, in two weeks after making it through with a stroke to spare at Walton Heath.

The 28-year-old from Stockholm won the European Masters two years ago but dropped from 25th to 85th on the money list last season and from a high of 50th in the world he now stands 127th. "I've always dreamed of playing a US Open and I'm so happy – so happy," Noren said. "It's He birdied four of the last five holes to take over at the top from South Africa's Keith Horne, who after starting with a 64 failed to conjure up a single birdie in his 73.

McDowell also had four birdies in five holes, in his case from the eighth, and just as important was his recovery from under the lip of a bunker to two feet at the short 10th.

"One of the boys said Seve would have been proud of that one," he said. "I'm on a course I enjoy and in a position I enjoy.

"This is absolutely perfect for the US Open (he defends there as well in a fortnight). I said I just wanted to get in the mix and get the juices flowing and it's kind of mission accomplished."