Rory McIlroy falls of pace as Joachim B Hansen shines at Dubai Desert Classic

Rory McIlroy’s hopes of defending his title suffered a major blow as Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen made the most of his late entry into the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Outside the projected cut after 11 holes of his second round, McIlroy birdied four of his last seven holes to card a 72 to lie six shots off the halfway lead held by Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello.