Rory McIlroy is into the weekend at the Australian Open but admitted that his second round brought about something very rare in his golf career.
McIlroy plodded his way around Royal Melbourne to come home in 68 and go into the weekend rounds at two under par.
It means the world number two is some seven shots back of the leaders and has some work to do to get in contention.
However, things might have actually been much worse for McIlroy and he admitted after round two that he very much had to pull himself together after hole 14.
Rory McIlroy explains his fresh air shot at the Australian Open
For the high-handicap golfer, swinging and completely missing the golf ball is all part of an average round.
However, it’s very rare we see a professional miss everything entirely.
That’s what happened to Rory McIlroy, though, as he attempted to hit out of the rough from under some trees on the 14th. Remarkably, McIlroy completely missed the ball and he admitted afterwards that his next tee shot was vital to his round staying together.
““I needed to play those last four holes the way I did. That was not one of my finer moments on 14. I can’t remember the last time I had a fresh air [swing]. I was trying to get in really low sort of like Seve [Ballesteros], flick it back into play, and I caught a branch on the way down and completely missed the ball,” McIlroy explained.
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“The drive on 15 was a big shot because it could have been a turning point one way or another,” the Northern Irishman added.
“If I don’t hit that tee shot well, I’m looking at another bogey. I gave myself an easy enough birdie and I played the last few holes pretty well.”
Rory McIlroy needs his very best to win in Australia
At seven shots back, it seems unlikely that we’ll see the Australian crowd get what they want and have McIlroy in contention to win.
Of course, there are four Australians in Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, and Cam Smith and all firmly in the mix, so all is not lost.
Still, McIlroy being involved in that fight would make for great viewing and drama.
McIlroy will need his very best game, though. With just two rounds to go, McIlroy cannot afford to make errors like he did with his fresh air shot here, and ultimately, he’ll need something close to his best to reel the leaders in.
We have, of course, seen McIlroy do this before and come Saturday, it would be no surprise to see him back somewhere among the leaders.
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