Rory McIlroy makes his feelings perfectly clear on Maryland fans at BMW Championship
Rory McIlroy has made a steady start to his return to PGA Tour action after controversially skipping last week’s playoff opener, and he enjoyed reconnecting with golf fans in Maryland.
The five-time major champion occupies 11th place in the BMW Championship through 36 holes at Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, just a short distance from Congressional Country Club, the site of McIlroy’s first major championship victory.
JUST IN: LIV Golf star does something Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy
The Northern Irishman romped U.S. Open glory at Congressional in 2011, winning by eight shots to announce himself as a bona fide superstar. At nearby Caves Valley, he bounced back from an “awful” even-par first round to post a four-under-par 66 on Friday.
The Masters champion singled out the spectators at Caves Valley, who have braved scorching temperatures to show their support for their favorite stars.
“I won my first major here just down the road at Congressional. We’ve come back here quite a bit, and it’s been great,” McIlroy told reporters after his round, which was highlighted by a sensational eagle at the par-five 16th.
“The crowds out here, even though it is so hot, they’re still pretty enthusiastic and great to play in front of. I’m looking forward to that over the weekend as well.”
Despite going around in four fewer shots in his second round, McIlroy was still not satisfied with his play as he competes in his first tournament since The Open Championship a month ago.
“I scored better, but still not great. Yeah, look, it’s okay, I played a good back nine and I scored well. Made a few saves. But I still want to try to hit a few more fairways.
“Still struggling to get the ball in play. But when I do get the ball in play, I give myself plenty of chances and make some birdies.
“That’s a positive. I just need to try to get the ball in play a little bit more, and I did that for a little bit more on the back nine, and that was why, obviously, I scored better.”
McIlroy trails runaway leader Bob MacIntyre by 10 shots heading into Saturday’s third round, and the 36-year-old admits his hopes of victory this week are all but over.
“Not really,” he replied when asked if he had a chance of contending over the weekend. “I think I’m just playing my own tournament at this point, play a good weekend.
“No one is going to obviously replace Scottie at No. 1 [in the FedEx Cup standings], but try to sort of solidify that No. 2 spot and then turn my attention to the TOUR Championship next week.
“I just want to try to play a good weekend and feel a little bit better about my game going into the TOUR Championship.”
