McIlroy in the Irish Open fight: 66 without bogeys and close to the lead

McIlroy in the fight for the Irish Open after an outstanding round

STRAFFAN, Ireland – Rory McIlroy carded a bogey-free round of 66 (-6) to climb the leaderboard after the second round of the Irish Open. Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren leads the tournament after a standout performance with a 62 on Friday. McIlroy climbed to third place, thanks to six birdies at The K Club. Two of them came in the last two holes, which caused the euphoria of the fans who were following the Northern Irishman on his return home.

“Incredible, all day,” McIlroy commented. “Even going to the course to warm up today, the support is absolutely incredible. I’m looking forward to playing in that environment in the coming days as well.”

Rory McIlroy

The world number 2 will seek to close the gap with Lagergren, who dominates the tournament with a total of -12 after 36 holes, and Adrien Saddier from France, who delivered a card of 66, adding to his initial 67, and is one stroke away. Lagergren, 33, has a favorable history at The K Club. Last year, during the Irish Challenge at the Palmer South course, he set a course record with 63 strokes and achieved an eagle from a bunker on the 72nd hole, securing the victory by one stroke.

“Ireland is treating me well,” Lagergren stated.

Joakim Lagergren

McIlroy shares seventh place with Thorbjorn Olesen (71), Daniel Hillier (66) and Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (65), all with a cumulative score of -7.