McIlroy makes Challenge Tour cut

Rory McIlroy, the 16-year-old Irish amateur champion, outplayed each of his professional countrymen to be the only Irishman to survive the halfway cut at the European Challenge Tour’s Morson International Pro-Am Challenge yesterday.

The talented Holywood youngster carded a second round of three over par 73 in the worst conditions of the day to just make the two over cut on his Challenge Tour debut.

His far more experienced countrymen had a hugely disappointing tournament at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club, with current Challenge Tour No 4 David Higgins finishing on three over, Colm Moriarty on five over, Justin Kehoe on nine over and Tim Rice on 11 over par.