McIlroy well in contention

IRISH teenage superstar Rory McIlroy stayed in contention for the European Amateur individual title with a second successive sub-par round over the Rinkven course at Antwerp in Belgium yesterday.

McIlroy, who at 16 became the youngest-ever winner of the Irish Close earlier in the year, fired a one-under par 71 to add to his 69 of the previous day for a halfway score of 140.

He goes into the third and penultimate round this morning in joint second spot only one stroke behind leader Alvaro Velasco, the highly-rated Italian.