The Northern Irishman dragged his tee shot out of bounds on the par-4 12th hole at TPC River Highland before hitting a provisional shot into the right rough. He subsequently mishit his bunker shot over the green, recording a quadruple-bogey 8.
On the par-4 15th, McIlroy had yet another tale. To the onlookers on the hill, he sliced his drive. With a clear 54-foot look at the hole after chipping out of the weeds, it appeared that he would avoid another catastrophe. After blading his chip into the water, he would record a double bogey.
McIlroy stated after his even-par 70 round, "For whatever reason, I haven't been comfortable with my fairway woods the last couple of weeks. I recently made three wayward shots, two on 12 and one on 15. That was all. For the rest of the game, I played well. Got off to a fantastic start. I felt like I returned successfully. I sank a good putt for a six on 15; then I made a birdie on 16.
Yes, I ought to be nearer the front. I think I let a lot of guys play in the golf tournament as a result.
Kevin Kisner, his partner in the game, was one of those players and advanced to T-2 with a second-round 64. Due to his opening 62 and seven birdies in Round 2, Kisner still sees McIlroy (T-7) as a threat this weekend.
"According to Kisner, "McIlroy is playing fantastic golf because he shot even par with a quad and a double. All it takes is one terrible swing to send you flying."
In his last six starts, McIlroy has finished second at the Masters, fifth at the Wells Fargo Championship, eighth at the PGA Championship, T-18 at the Memorial, first at the RBC Canadian Open, and T-5 last week at the U.S. Open. This is his highest standing in two years.
With 36 holes remaining in Connecticut, McIlroy, six shots off Xander Schauffele's 14-under lead, won't dwell on a few miscues.
There is still a lot of time, and McIlroy acknowledged that the golf course offers plenty of opportunities for birdies. The key is to maintain calm and patience, and if I continue to play the kind of golf I know I'm capable of, I'll hopefully inch closer to that lead.
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