McIlroy falls off pace after tough second round

McIlroy's second round at the BMW Championship in St Louis left him trailing by five strokes. The Masters champion opened with a solid six-under-par before dropping to a one-under-par 69 on Friday. This left him five shots behind leader Wyndham Clark, who ended the first round at 12-under. McIlroy is the only player without a bogey in the opening two rounds.

Despite the tough round, he expressed optimism about the conditions, saying they were similar to the previous day's and still scorable. He indicated a need for an afternoon on the driving range to work on his game. McIlroy expressed pride in holding his own, particularly with some good par saves on the back nine, except for a bogey on the par-five eighth hole.