Rory McIlroy will need to make up shots during his second round at the PGA Championship if he is to avoid the embarrassment of missing the cut. After teeing off as the overall favourite on Thursday, the Masters champion now faces a fight just to make the weekend at Quail Hollow after his opening effort of 71.
That left him 10 shots behind the leader, Jhonattan Vegas. The Colombian continued to set the pace on Friday with McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler due out at 6.47pm. The Northern Irishman will be looking to make up ground quickly, while another former champion, Brooks Koepka, is also in trouble after a 75 on Thursday.
The world No.2 started well enough with a birdie on his opening hole, but only added one more in the 17 that followed. Three bogeys, including one on his final hole, and a double-bogey instead left him dejected as he trudged off.
A full field of 156 players teed off on Thursday morning. After 36 holes are completed on Friday, the field will be cut to 70, with McIlroy now lying just inside the top 100 as he waits to head out.
The actual cut line won’t be finalised until all players have completed their two rounds. It’s currently one-over-par, meaning McIlroy will need to make up at least two shots if it doesn’t budge in the hours to come.
McIlroy last missed a cut at a major in the 2024 Open Championship. However, in the PGA, a tournament he’s won twice, 2015 signifies the only time he has failed to make the weekend.
The grand slam winner was in no mood to hang around on Thursday and discuss his plight. He left the course without speaking to the media, and unlike some rival players, declined to head to the practice range.
Like the PGA Championship, the cut line at the Open is also set to the top 70. The US Open only permits the top 60, while the Masters only allows the best 50 players back for the weekend.