Rory US Open Ready

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Rory McIlroy believes spending three days in London as a tourist has helped prepare him mentally for his bid to win a second US Open title this week at Chambers Bay.

The world No 1 goes into the second major of 2015 off the back of two consecutive missed cuts at Wentworth in the BMW PGA Championship and at the Irish Open.

Despite his dip in form after winning two of his previous four tournaments, the 26-year-old appears relaxed in Washington after a low-key build-up to the tournament.

McIlroy is looking for a fifth major after claiming his first in the same event at Congressional in Maryland four years ago.

He said: "I had commitments with Nike on the Monday after (the Irish Open). I did some biomechanical testing on the Tuesday.

“My trainer Steve (McGregor) was over on Wednesday so we did a couple of sessions and then I went to London on Thursday for a few days.

“I was a tourist for three days, went to the London Eye, did a lot of walking, which I didn't know was a great preparation for this place. I think I walked about 10 miles a day so that helped.

“That got me in the right frame of mind. I obviously didn't want to miss those two cuts in Europe, but I think that's just the way I'm going to be.

“I'd rather in a six-tournament period have three wins and three missed cuts than six top-10s. Volatility in golf is actually a good thing. If your good weeks are really good, it far outweighs the bad weeks.”

Perhaps ominously for McIlroy is the fact he has compared the hard and fast conditions at Chambers Bay with Muirfield when it served as the venue for the Open in 2013.

Back then, the Northern Irishman missed the cut at a time when he was struggling to adapt to new clubs following his switch to Nike but is confident of performing better this week.

He added: “I'm a completely different player. I'm in a completely different place. I had no control of my golf game at that point in time and I feel like I'm pretty much in full control of it at the minute.

"I can tell you a repeat of that is definitely not going to happen. Chambers Bay plays more like a links course than some links courses. It's so fast, so firm.

“It reminds me of 2013 at Muirfield and '06 at Hoylake when Tiger (Woods) won. The course is getting burned out.”

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Harrington Takes Honda Lead

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Padraig Harrington’s gruelling schedule at the start of the season looks to be bearing fruit after the three-time Major winner rose to the top of the leaderboard after the weather-delayed second round of the Honda Classic in Florida.

The 43-year-old Dubliner was four under and four shots off the lead of Brendan Steeleovernight after play was suspended due to darkness on Friday evening.

Harrington made a storming start on the resumption play, with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th, the last two holes of the famous Bear Trap on the PGA National Course.

Another birdie came at the first before the first dropped shot of his second round came at the par-five sixth before a scintillating hat-trick of birdies from the fourth to move to nine under.

At that stage, Harrington was three shots clear of clubhouse leader Patrick Reed, but he would close with back-to-back bogeys and sign for a four-under 66 to leave him on seven under.

The second round was completed on Saturday after rain delays on Friday and the players will be straight back in action in the third round later on Saturday.

Ian Poulter’s impressive 64 moved him to within two strokes of Harrington and level with American Steele on five under.

Former Honda Classic winner Luke Donald, shot a 67 to move three strokes off the lead.

Graeme McDowell joined fellow Ulsterman Rory McIlroy in missing the cut after completing a one-over 71 in his second round to miss the cut by one shot on five over.

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McIlroy Confirms First Bay Hill Trip

Rory McIlroy has committed to making his first appearance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational next month as part of his pre-Masters schedule.

McIlroy has yet to feature on the PGA Tour in 2015 but is on a run of seven consecutive top-two finishes on the European Tour, following a runners-up finish in Abu Dhabi with victory at the Dubai Desert Classic.

The world No 1 has turned down previous invites from tournament organisers and seven-time major winner Palmer to appear at Bay Hill, but is looking forward to featuring on March 19.

"I'm delighted to add the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill to my 2015 playing schedule," McIlroy said.

"Mr Palmer is the father figure of modern golf, widening its appeal and bringing the game to a new audience. Every playing professional of my generation owes a debt of gratitude to Arnold Palmer."

The reigning Open and PGA champion will return to action in the Honda Classic later this month, before featuring in the WGC-Cadillac Championship the following weekend.

"I am very pleased that Rory is going to be playing here," Palmer said. “I have talked to Rory about playing here, and it didn't work into his schedule in the past, but he told me that when it did work into his schedule that he would be here, and he is making good on his word.”

First staged in 1979, the event usually boasts a star-studded field ahead of the following month's Masters.

Matt Every is the defending champion after his one-stroke victory over Keegan Bradley last year, while world No 62 Tiger Woods has won the tournament a record eight times.

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