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PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy flexes muscle on Friday at Colonial

By Tim Letcher

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 12: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 14th tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 12, 2020 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 12: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 14th tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 12, 2020 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Thursday at the Charles Schwab Challege, we did not see the Rory McIlroy who has dominated the PGA Tour this season. Friday was different

The first round of the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge was not the best round that Rory McIlroy has ever had. It wasn’t that the world’s top-ranked player was awful on Thursday, but his play was not up to the level that we are used to seeing from him on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy started his day with a birdie and shot a 2-under par 33 on the front nine on Thursday. However, he was unable to make a move on the back nine, recording nine straight pars to shoot a 2-under par 68, leaving him five shots behind first-round co-leaders Justin Rose and Harold Varner III.

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On Friday, McIlroy had an entirely different round. Starting on the back nine, he birdied the 13th and 14th holes and added a birdie on 17 to shoot a 3-under par 32 on his first nine.

Perhaps the turning point in the round was an eagle on the first hole, McIlroy’s 10th hole of the day, moving him to 5-under par on the day

He followed that with a birdie on number two, then recorded birdies on numbers six and seven, moving to 8-under par on the day and 10-under par for the tournament. He was within one shot of the lead at that point.

The only blemish on McIlroy’s round came on his final hole of the day, when his drive went into the rough and he was forced to punch out into the fairway. He was unable to get up and down from 79 yards out and suffered his first bogey of the tournament. Still, his second-round 63 left him at 9-under par, leaving him two shots behind Varner, who holds the 36-hole lead.

Much was expected from McIlroy this week, largely due to how hot he has been this season. The 31-year-old has made six starts on the PGA Tour this season and has finished in the top five in each of those starts. He has a win at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in November and is looking to that total.

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However, despite his outstanding credentials, McIlroy had never played in a competitive round at Colonial Country Club prior to yesterday. Some wondered how McIlroy would handle Hogan’s Alley, despite the fact that he is clearly the hottest player in the world.

In round one, McIlroy was able to get his footing and get familiar with his surroundings in Fort Worth. On Friday, he showed the game that was fitting for that of the world’s best player. The weekend ahead could show the rest of the field that he remains largely unchallenged at this point on tour.

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