The open: Rory McILroy ready to challenge for the major home victory after having stayed in the running at Royal Portrush | News Golf

Rory McILroy insists that he is ready to “race” to challenge a major historic victory at the open after being kept in the running with a second second round in Royal Portrush.

McILroy has been playing for the first time on the floor at home since its end of the Grand Slam at the Masters in April, the world n ° 2 surmounting the preliminary nerves and a career performance on the TEE to blur a first round of 70 on Thursday.

The five-year-old major champion experienced improvements in his driving in the second round, where he mixed four birdies with two Bogeys to display two under 69, leaving him well placed in the weekend.

McILroy missed the cup when the open took place for the last time in this place, where he fired the course record as a teenager amateur, but the former world n ° 1 feels better prepared to challenge a first victory as a professional in Northern Ireland.

“I feel like I let myself fall more than I drop the fans [in 2019]”Said McILroy after his turn.” It was a hard pill to swallow but, at the same time, I left myself too much. This time, I just improved.

“I know what I need to do to get the most out of me in an environment like that. I was a bit close to my best during the first two days in small pieces here and there.

“It’s amazing to play in front of these fans. It was 20 years ago that I played in the north of Ireland here, and never in my wildest dreams, I thought I would come back as a Grand Slam champion – with the support of a nation behind me – trying to win an open championship.

“I have very grateful and very lucky to be in this position, and I am excited for the weekend.”

How McILroy remained in a big hunt for Portrush

McILroy produced a huge roar of the northern Ireland galleries when he drove in a 5 -foot Birdie in the first four, two strokes better than succeeded on Thursday and five less than the first round of the 2019 competition.

He chose to take a drop despite a little accuracy by leaving the limits with his trip to the second per-five, where he finished short from the green with his third blow but scrambled one par.

McILroy failed to get up and descend from Green to save the peer in the third, having been forced to stand laterally in a bunker to play his second blow, but made amends with a Birdie near the next four.

A poor Bogey in the fifth by four conduisable – where McILroy three shots at a distance – left him back for the day, with the 36 -year -old also three strokes for the peer in seventh to reach the Tour in 36.

McILroy closed on the leaders when he followed a two -stroke birdie in the 12th per -five by Holing from almost 20 feet at 14, then converted from 10 feet to save by 16th before closing his turn with a two -stroke pair – in the driving rain – in the last.

“Another solid day,” added Mcilroy. “A couple under, improved a little yesterday, struck it in play a little more on the tee, which was good to have looks out of the fairway and in some of these greens.

“It was a good day. I feel like I might be a couple closer to the head, but overall in a decent position before the weekend.

“I am excited for this opportunity. I did not have this opportunity six years ago, so to play two additional days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I am very excited for that. I have the impression that my game is really good enough to make a race.”

Who will win the open? Look at the last male major of the year throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. The early coverage of the third round is available on Sky Sports +, before full coverage of Stream The Open and More Top Sport without contract.