Adam McKendry reports from Ballyliffin
RORY MCILROY FINISHED his second round with back-to-back bogeys which leaves him six shots off the midway lead at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin.
The World No.8 was hoping to finish strongly on the Glashedy Links after a mixed round, but instead he finished off with two poor holes to leave him closer to the cut mark than the lead, held by Swede Joakim .
McIlroy started his round on the back nine, carding six straight pars to start, before he found a fairway bunker on the 16th which led to a bogey, although he immediately bounced back with a birdie at the par-five 17th.
Good birdie chances slipped by at the first and second, before a short eagle putt also missed on the fourth, which still led to a birdie, but he immediately gave it back at the fifth when he took two out of the bunker.
Despite gaining a stroke at the sixth, it was a horror finish for McIlroy as he tangled with the rough twice on the final two holes, leading to two bogeys and leaving him well adrift going into the weekend.
In comparison, it was a great day for Lagergren, who backed up his opening round of 69 with an equally impressive four-under par second round that sees him hold the lead at seven-under.
He was three-under for his opening four holes, three birdies aided by a par on the second, but he would fall back a stroke after bogeying the eighth to make the turn in five-under for the tournament.
Birdies at 13 and 14 were followed by a bogey at the 15th, but he finished his round on a high with a birdie at the 17th and a nice up-and-down par on the closing hole to ensure he holds an early one shot lead.
Former Masters champion Danny Willett is Lagergen’s closest challenger at six-under par after he shot a sparkling second round of 70, while Lee Westwood is a further shot back at five-under and Peter Uihlein and Russell Knox are in on four-under.
Shane Lowry is two-under par, the same score he shot in his second round, while Paul Dunne is on the current cut line at one-over par after a second round 72.
Gavin Moynihan, at +2, faces a nervous wait to see if he’s made the weekend, but Paul McGinley and Cormac Sharvin look to have missed the cut at three-over, and it’s an early exit for Colm Moriarty (+4) and Neil O’Briain (+8).
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