Rory McIlroy slipped from co-leader to a chase position after a one-under 69 in the second round at the BMW Championship in St Louis, leaving him five strokes adrift of Wyndham Clark. The Masters champion opened with a six-under first round but could not match that output on Friday and will look to fix the swing that cost him distance and accuracy.
Wyndham Clark produced a flawless 12-under through two rounds, the only player yet to drop a bogey, and now holds a one-stroke advantage over Gary Woodland, who sits at 11 under. JJ Spaun is at 10 under, while S J Im and C Gotterup are on nine under. Patrick Cantlay and M Thorbjornsen are at eight under, and a group that includes C Morikawa, R McIlroy, R Henley and M McNealy occupy seven under.
Selected other scores include Justin Rose at four under, and Robert MacIntyre, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Aaron Fitzpatrick, and Tommy Fleetwood ranging between three under and two under, with Amandeep Rai at one under. That cluster behind the leaders means the BMW Championship leaderboard remains fluid, with opportunities for low rounds to redraw positions quickly.
McIlroy assessed the day to the Golf Channel, saying, "I feel like conditions were pretty similar to yesterday. The wind was coming out of a different direction, but still very scorable. The greens are soft, maybe the ball's got a little bit more run out on the fairways, but you'll still see guys shooting pretty good scores today." He added, "I didn't quite hit it as good as I did yesterday, so probably an afternoon on the range for me."
He defended his round, noting the back nine par saves, and pointed to a single mistake on the par-five eighth as the only blemish. "I'm proud of how I just hung in there. A lot of good par putts on the back nine, especially," McIlroy said, underscoring that the damage was limited despite the slide in the standings.
The immediate picture is clear: Clark carries the momentum with a bogey-free card and a one-shot cushion over Woodland, while McIlroy must sharpen his ball-striking if he hopes to climb back toward the lead. He plans a practice session on the range, and Saturday’s play will show whether any of the chasing group can erase the five-shot gap before the final rounds.
