ST. LOUIS — Rory McIlroy ended his back nine at Bellerive Country Club on Friday a lot like how he started his front — with a whole lot of pars.
McIlroy, who shared part of the lead with four others after the opening round, made par on six consecutive holes on his front nine and then followed that up with another nine straight on the back.
He carded a 1-under 69 as a result, with birdies at a pair of front nine par-4 (Nos. 7 and 9) and a bogey at the par-5 8th.
While McIlroy lost his lead during his second round, he remains very much in contention after 36 holes as nobody has gained separation on the BMW Championship field.
The best contender seemed to be J.J. Spaun who leapt out to a three-shot lead after nine holes on Friday but coughed that up on a back nine that saw three squares — and counting, as he remains on the course with two holes to play.
The key difference in McIlroy scoring was the eighth hole and the back nine.
He gained a stroke with a birdie on the course’s longest hole Thursday, while putting together a 4-under 31 on the back nine compared to a 35 a day later.
The reigning back-to-back Masters champ sits a shot of the clubhouse lead at 8 under, which is owned currently by Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Cantlay.
