Travelers Championship: Rory McIlroy moves into contention as Jon Rahm misses first cut for nearly two years

Rory McIlroy moved into contention with a six-under 64 in the second round of the Travelers Championship.

McIlroy, who started at the 10th hole, had made five birdies at the turn and three more in the next six holes.

But he slipped back with a double-bogey on the eighth, the scene of his hole-in-one on Thursday.

Rory McIlroy

“After the hole-in-one on eight yesterday, to make double bogey there today it’s sort of like may as well have just made two threes,” said McIlroy.

“Overall it was just better, way better on the greens and I played a good round of golf to get myself back in the tournament today.”

While McIlroy enjoyed a good day with putter in hand, world number two Jon Rahm had one to forget.

The Spaniard, who won the Masters in April, failed to knock in a putt longer than four feet and his score of two under means he will miss a cut for the first time since September 2021.

Rahm had made 25 consecutive cuts which was the longest active run on the PGA Tour.

McCarthy followed up his opening round of 60 with a five-under 65 and was joined on 15 under – with the lowest opening 36-hole score since the event moved to TPC River Highlands in 1984 – by the 2011 US PGA Champion Bradley, who made a bogey-free 63.

Chez Reavie is two shots back and former Masters champion Adam Scott is on 10 under, with the chasing pack also including Norway’s Viktor Hovland and four-time major champion McIlroy.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is seven under alongside the likes of England’s Aaron Rai, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and his fellow Americans Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay. – bbc.com