Rory builds optimism ahead of Lytham test

At five under par after 36 holes, Rory McIlroy is certainly not out of this Irish Open but whether he wins this weekend or not, the world No 2 is building very nicely for next month’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

It has already been an up and down year for the one-time golfing prodigy from Holywood. Having risen to world No 1 status in March he has suffered a slump in form that reached its nadir with a missed cut at the US Open, cutting short his title defence by two days.

However, some productive work with long-time teacher Michael Bannon, who also accompanied his pupil to the USA earlier this month, and two tidy rounds of 70 and 69 over the Dunluce links at Royal Portrush this week have given McIlroy renewed optimism that he can mount a serious challenge for the Auld Claret Jug in two weeks’ time on the Lancashire coast.