Philadelphia (AFP) – Keith Mitchell clung to a one-stroke lead after Friday’s rainy second round of the PGA Tour Truist Championship, with Shane Lowry making a charge and Rory McIlroy five strokes adrift. Mitchell, seeking his first PGA title since 2019, fired a three-under-par 67 to stand at 12-under 128 after 36 holes at Philadelphia Cricket Club. The 33-year-old American, who recorded a career-low 61 on Thursday, won his lone PGA crown at the 2019 Honda Classic but was a runner-up last month at Puntacana.
“A lot more up and downs. The greens were tougher to hit because we had a lot more club, a little bit more wind and the rain,” Mitchell said. “It definitely played tougher. Didn’t hit as many greens but I thought my short game was pretty good. I’ve got to keep my head down and keep moving.”
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Ireland’s Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, fired a 65 to pull within a stroke of Mitchell, with Austrian Sepp Straka third on 130 and defending champion McIlroy in a fourth-place pack on 133 after a 67. “It was pretty good,” Lowry said. “Weather has turned a bit nasty but I thought early on it was actually OK; it was not the worst, and there wasn’t that much wind. I’m very happy but it’s pretty miserable out there for the rest of the guys.”
Heavy afternoon rain forced course workers to soak up water off several greens between groups to keep the course playable. The event was moved from its usual home at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, because that course is hosting next week’s 107th PGA Championship. World number 90 Mitchell answered a bogey at the second with birdies on the next three holes and a bogey at 11, followed by birdies at 12 and 14.
Lowry, a runner-up to McIlroy at Pebble Beach in February, contended at the Masters and feels he has made a breakthrough in his game. “There’s a consistency to my whole game that has been very good,” Lowry said. “I think I’m just maturing as a golfer, taking the rough with the smooth, the good days taking them well and the bad days working through them.”
McIlroy made six birdies and three bogeys, twice answering bogeys with birdies on the next hole, to share fourth with South Korean Kim Si-woo and Americans Justin Thomas, Akshay Bhatia, Collin Morikawa, and Patrick Cantlay. Second-ranked McIlroy, in his first solo event since winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, is playing his final tune-up for next week’s PGA at Quail Hollow, where he has won four times.
The five-time major champion, a winner at Pebble Beach and the Players in addition to the Masters this season, is pleased with his preparations for the PGA, but recognizes that he has more work to do. “I’ve putted nicely, which has been good to see,” McIlroy said. “I’ve seen my lines pretty well the first two days. My focus is good. I made some uncharacteristic mistakes over the first two days compared to the way I’ve played for the most part this year. If I can just iron those out — it would be nice to go out there and not have to scramble so much — if I can clean the cards up over the weekend, I’ll be in a good spot headed into Quail Hollow.”
© 2024 AFP
