McIlroy fires 63 to take clubhouse lead in Abu Dhabi
Rory McIlroy shot a second-round 63 on Friday, nine under par, to move to 11 under and take the clubhouse lead at the Abu Dhabi Championship, according to the BBC. The clubhouse lead is the best score so far among players who have finished, while others are still out on the course. It does not mean he is the outright leader.
The round was built on birdies. McIlroy made 11 of them, one stroke under par at a hole each time. He made five in a row from the ninth to the 13th. It was the first time in his career he had made 11 birdies in a single round on the DP World Tour, the main European circuit.
The week had started with a setback. On Thursday he shot 70, two under par, but he was penalised two shots on the par-four 12th. Before a chip, he pressed down grass behind his ball with his club. Players may not improve their lie, the spot where the ball sits, that way. His six on the hole became an eight. McIlroy admitted that video of the incident doesn't look very good.
After the first round he was eight shots behind Francesco Laporta, who opened with a 62. Eugenio Chacarra, who started the week top of the Race to Dubai standings, shot a 71 on Friday to reach three under. Patrick Reed, second in the rankings, also shot 71, one over par.
The Race to Dubai is the season-long ranking on the DP World Tour, and it is worth a great deal to the players chasing it. The top 70 available players in the rankings are in Abu Dhabi, and the top 50 after this event go on to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. McIlroy entered the week third in the standings.
He is chasing a fifth straight Race to Dubai title. A win would give him eight in total, which would equal the record held by Colin Montgomerie.
Away from the course, McIlroy has been vocal about the rise of LIV Golf, the breakaway circuit that has signed many leading players with large contracts. On November 4 he said LIV had turned professional golf into an "arms race". For now, though, the focus is on the leaderboard in Abu Dhabi, where a single hole has already shown how quickly a round can change.
