McIlroy ready to chase lead on the weekend

The pre-tournament favourite was nine shots back when he walked off the course at the Open on Friday. But as far as Rory McIlroy is concerned, he’s still very much in the thick of the race for the Claret Jug.

The man who won the Open the last time it was played at Royal Liverpool birdied the 18th hole to sign for a one-under 70. Brian Harman was at 10-under par after his brilliant round of 65.

“It played really, really tough,” McIlroy said. “Ten-under par is unbelievably impressive out there. We'll see what the weekend holds. But after two days I'm actually pretty happy with my two days’ work.”

McIlroy started well with a birdie on the first hole and added another on the sixth to turn in two-under. But he gave those back with bogeys on 11 and 16, two of the easier holes on the course, before closing things out with an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

While he ended the day under par, it could have been deeper into red numbers if not for a putter that failed him a few times from short distance. He missed a four-footer on the third hole and a seven-foot putt on 12.

“I've missed a couple of chances on the greens,” he admitted. “The wind got me today. It's hard sometimes in two minds – whether to play the wind or not to play the wind.”

Despite forecasts calling for rain, most of the second round was played under sunny skies, although the stiff breezes added plenty of difficulty. That’s expected to change on Saturday when there is a forecast of heavy rain throughout the day.

Despite the wide gap between him and the lead, McIlroy was only four shots back of second place when he finished his day. That led to all types of what-if scenarios involving Harman and the possibility he may come back to the pack.

“Right now, it's not quite out of my hands,” McIlroy stated, “but at the same time, I think if I can get to three-, four-, five-under par tomorrow going into Sunday, I'll have a really good chance.”

Harman has no plans to put his game in reverse. Through two rounds, he’s made nine birdies and an eagle against just a single bogey. His game has been a steady diet of fairways and greens, coupled with some tremendous putting.

“I've had a hot putter the last couple days,” he said, “so try to ride it through the weekend.”

Corey Conners will also play on the weekend after a round of even-par 71 that was highlighted by dropping a 32-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.

“It feels nice, and there is definitely a lot left to be desired out there with my game out there, just a little bit off with some tee shots and iron shots, but it’s just very, very tricky with the wind,” he told Postmedia’s Jon McCarthy.

Nick Taylor was not as sharp on Friday, posting a four-over 75 to miss the cut.

All the players were given somewhat of a helping hand by the tournament committee’s decision to rake the sand up at the front of every bunker. There were complaints after the first round that the flatness of the sand left impossible shots when balls came to rest against the bunker wall. The change meant balls rolled away from the face, giving golfers a fighting chance.

“I wouldn't say there's one person in the field that wouldn't welcome that change,” McIlroy stated.