Rory McIlroy breathes sigh of relief after making PGA Championship cut

It was always likely to come down to this. Rory McIlroy’s playing of the final two holes of the Wentworth west course in three over par on Thursday left him embroiled in a second-day battle just to make the BMW PGA Championship cut. McIlroy duly reached the 17th tee needing to play the last two holes of his second round in level to take his place in Saturday’s draw. A chip in from behind the 16th green meant McIlroy needed two, error-free holes; five-five would suffice.

The four-times major winner delivered a straightforward par on 17 before carving an approach to the last right. A chip from a treacherous position left McIlroy with two putts from 40ft to make the cut. He left the first 6ft short, proving how a sense of drama is never far from this golfer’s scene. McIlroy converted confidently from there; his 69 and one-over-par aggregate means 36 more holes.

The tournament organisers, never mind McIlroy, breathed a sigh of relief. He might be a dozen shots from the lead but the 30-year-old’s very involvement here raises the championship’s profile. “I’m still not in sync with everything but I battled well,” McIlroy said. “My alignment has been off and it’s hard when that happens.”

At the business end of proceedings Jon Rahm has tied Danny Willett at 11 under par. Willett’s 65 on Friday was two strokes better than Rahm, who is seeking a fourth victory in one of the European Tour’s marquee Rolex Series events.

“I think it’s a great golf course,” said the Spaniard. “That’s why I love coming back to Europe to play these traditional style golf courses, where they are not long, they are not overly complicated but things can get difficult for a player real quick. They make you think about it. You can be as aggressive or as conservative as you want off the tee and make it fun that way.”

Willett had played his outward half in 29 shots, rendering a back nine of 36 something of a disappointment for galleries who sensed records could be broken. Willett, though, is perfectly content with his halfway position. The former Masters champion is a firm advocate of this tournament in September, switched from its previous slot in May.

“It is a better date,” Willett said. “Our summers are kind of going later on in the year and our winters are moving to January, February, March. To try and get this golf course in great condition in May has always been a pretty tough task for the guys. They have done a great job of it but this year with that few extra months gives time for the sun to come out, the heat to come through and the growth to be more even. That’s why you’ll see some good scoring. We are not getting too many iffy lies out there and the greens are rolling really well.

“It’s the best condition I’ve seen it in the 10 years I’ve been here. It’s all set up for a really good weekend.”

Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are tied at minus nine. Rose continues to defy the odds; the 39-year-old arrived in Surrey with an injured knee after slipping last week.