Australian Jason Day has shrugged off a persistent thumb injury to soar into contention at the halfway mark of the USPGA Championship at Valhalla, the final major of the year.
Tiger Woods will have the weekend off after struggling with two rounds of 74 to miss the cut by five shots.
Other major winners who missed out – the current US Open champion Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose, Tom Watson, Davis Love III, Graeme McDowell, Keegan Bradley, Stewart Cink, Webb Simpson, Shaun Micheel, Darren Clarke, Y.E. Yang, Rich Beem, John Daly, and Mark Brooks, along with Australians Stuart Deane, Steven Bowditch, and John Senden.
But it was Day’s day. After a superb outward nine with an eagle and three birdies to get to 7-under, and just two shots away from McIlroy, Day had much quieter homeward nine with a bogey and two birdies for his 65 to be within a shot of McIlroy.
Realistically, McIlroy is the man to beat. He played the second round in the rain, those who had afternoon tee times had far more favourable conditions
He carded four birdies and a couple of bogeys, before dropping an eagle putt on the last for his 67 to go with his opening round 66 – to top the leader-board.
The most interesting round belonged to American Rickie Fowler, the best performed of any golfer in this year’s majors, finishing fifth at the Masters, and second in both the US and British Opens.
Fowler’s front nine was a roller-coaster with birdie, bogey, par, birdie, birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie, bogey for a 2-under 33. Just the one par.
Coming home was much more orthodox with birdie, birdie, par, par, par, par, par, par, birdie for his 66, and on 7-under.
Englishman Lee Westwood, who shared the first round lead with a 65, lost the plot with a double and two bogeys in four holes on the homeward nine to finish with a 72 and four off the pace.
Jim Furyk is 44 years young, and hasn’t won a major since his only success in the US Open in 2003. Even though he’s giving away a lot of ground off the tee to the younger brigade who are driving the ball out of sight, his iron play is still immaculate, he’ll be there when the whips are cracking.
So too Swede Henrik Stenson, who had putting problems today, but if he can iron that out over the next two days, he will give this tournament a shake, even though he’s four shots adrift of McIlroy.
As will crowd favourite Phil Mickelson, especially if his approach shots finish closer to the flag for some more realistic birdie chances. He eagled the last for be 6-under, and well in the mix.
Of the Australians, Matt Jones is the best performed at 3-under, Geoff Ogilvy, coming off his first win on the USPGA tour last week in four years, is at 2-under, while Adam Scott birdied the last to be 2-under as well.
But it’s world number one Rory McIlroy who shows the way at 9-under, with Day nipping at his heels at 8-under.
Day three is always moving day, with McIlroy and Day at the tail of the field. Ideal.
"It looked like it was gonna go for miles - and then it went nowhere!"
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