McIlroy primed for 'interesting' test in Tulsa

Rory McIlroy was ready for an "interesting" weekend at the 2022 US PGA Championship after firing a 71 in round two at Southern Hills Country Club.

The Northern Irishman could not quite match the heights of his brilliant opening 65 on day two but he still heads into the last 36 holes just five shots off the lead.

The storied Oklahoma layout is well known for its high winds and they played a role over the first two days, with Will Zalatoris taking advantage of being in the calmer half of the draw to lead at nine under.

But McIlroy knows a thing or two about playing in the wind and remains well in the hunt to claim a fifth Major Championship and first since 2014.

"There's a long way to go, a lot of golf left," he said.

"We're going to see a completely different golf course the next two days because of the wind direction. It's going to play completely differently.

"Maybe a couple of guys that came up earlier or Viktor (Hovland) that's been here a while might have seen the golf course in a northerly wind, but for the most part everyone is going to have to adapt.

"It's just going to play much differently tomorrow and that makes it very interesting."

McIlroy bogeyed the second and seventh but picked a shot back up on the 12th and, after getting up and down on his final three holes, takes some momentum into the weekend.

It's just going to play much differently tomorrow and that makes it very interesting

"I didn't get off to the best of starts," he said. "That bogey on two and then I guess from there, I was not really giving myself enough realistic chances for birdies.

"After that, I played solidly on the way in there. After the second bogey on seven there, to play the last 11 holes in one under was respectable, not to make another bogey.

"I gave myself a few more chances on the back nine and couldn't quite capitalise on a couple of them.

"But those up-and-downs on 16, 17, and 18 I think were going to be really important. Just keeps me a little closer to the lead and doesn't really feel like I've got such a mountain to climb as if I had have maybe dropped one or two over those last three holes."