McIlroy bounces back

Rory McIlroy, one of Europe’s brightest golfing prospects, today hit back from the disappointment of a second round 78 in the Quinn Direct British Masters at The Belfry.

While making the halfway cut in his first professional event will be marked down as a success – Justin Rose, after all, needed 22 attempts to earn his first pay cheque – the 18-year-old from Northern Ireland admits he had higher hopes than that.

McIlroy’s return to the Ryder Cup course this morning saw him improve to one over par with a two under 70.

That was still eight adrift of halfway leaders Mark Foster and Robert-Jan Derksen, who had yet to tee off again, but the sizeable crowd that followed the former Irish and European amateur champion saw enough to realise what a talent he is.

After turning in a level par 36 McIlroy took advantage of the tee being moved forward on the famous 10th by hitting a three-wood over the water to 25 feet on the 245-yard par four and two-putting for birdie.

Further birdies came on the 16th and 17th, but he freely admits to disliking the 473-yard last and after double-bogeying it on his previous visit he three-putted it for bogey this time.

“Overall I’m pleased, but last night I was more disappointed that I had fallen back than happy that I had made the cut,” he commented.

“I didn’t come here with the mindset of making the cut. I know I am good enough to contend.”

McIlroy’s new life is already becoming busy. He is off to County Sligo after the final round tomorrow for the opening of a course when he and his father will take on Darren Clarke and his father.

Going best of the early starters today was Welshman David Park, who had an eagle and six birdies in his first 14 holes, but because of three bogeys as well had risen only from two over to three under.

Former English amateur champion Foster and Dutchman Derksen were seven under par, one ahead of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sam Walker, Dane Soren Kjeldsen and Swede Martin Erlandsson, the player who scored a course record 63 in the opening round.

The first change at the top of the leaderboard came when local player Walker, playing with Colin Montgomerie, birdied the second to joint Foster and Derksen on seven under.

And into a tie for fourth came another Englishman, Phillip Archer, runner-up the last two weeks and second in the Ryder Cup points standings. He birdied the first and third.

It became a seven-way tie when Westwood and Erlandsson birdied the first, Kjeldsen the second and Archer made it three in four holes.

Walker fell out of top spot when he ran up a bogey six on the 538-yard third as Montgomerie eagled it to leap to six under, but Poulter grabbed a share of the lead as well by collecting his first birdie on the same hole.

Foster was the one to break the deadlock, his birdie at the second lifting him to eight under.