Rory McIlroy Struggles to Find Rhythm as Patrick Reed Takes Lead at Dubai Desert Classic.
Seven-shot deficit behind leader Patrick Reed after second round at Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Northern Irishman, who won the tournament in 2023 and 2024, carded a three-under 69 on Friday, improving his one-over-par score from the first day.
McIlroy trails Reed by nine strokes but remains in contention for victory. The Northern Irishman had six birdies and three bogeys to move up the leaderboard.
"I felt I did pretty well," McIlroy said after his round. "Conditions got trickier as the day went on...I hit a lot of good shots today."
McIlroy, who was eight strokes behind Francesco Molinari at the end of the first round, moved into contention with a solid second-round score.
USA's Patrick Reed leads the field by nine strokes after a six-under-par 66. The 2018 Masters champion had four birdies and an eagle during his round.
England's Andy Sullivan is just one shot behind Reed, while defending champion Tyrrell Hatton trails the leader by four strokes.
Tommy Fleetwood had a close call on the second hole, hitting a brilliant bunker shot that almost resulted in an eagle.
Seven-shot deficit behind leader Patrick Reed after second round at Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Northern Irishman, who won the tournament in 2023 and 2024, carded a three-under 69 on Friday, improving his one-over-par score from the first day.
McIlroy trails Reed by nine strokes but remains in contention for victory. The Northern Irishman had six birdies and three bogeys to move up the leaderboard.
"I felt I did pretty well," McIlroy said after his round. "Conditions got trickier as the day went on...I hit a lot of good shots today."
McIlroy, who was eight strokes behind Francesco Molinari at the end of the first round, moved into contention with a solid second-round score.
USA's Patrick Reed leads the field by nine strokes after a six-under-par 66. The 2018 Masters champion had four birdies and an eagle during his round.
England's Andy Sullivan is just one shot behind Reed, while defending champion Tyrrell Hatton trails the leader by four strokes.
Tommy Fleetwood had a close call on the second hole, hitting a brilliant bunker shot that almost resulted in an eagle.
I'm a bit surprised to see Rory McIlroy struggling to find his rhythm after winning the tournament last year 
. He's still got 9 strokes behind Patrick Reed, but he's definitely not out of contention... yet 
. It'll be interesting to see how he bounces back from this second round. Meanwhile, Reed is just killing it on the course right now 
. Maybe Rory needs to go back and watch some footage of his own game from last year to figure out what went wrong? 
. Patrick Reed's game is on fire right now though, and I love how confident he looks out there 
️. It'll be interesting to see if Rory can make his move coming into the final round 
Anyway, I think McIlroy's got a good chance of making a comeback, but we'll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds 
. Still, it's not like he's giving up – that's for sure! 
The stats also show that conditions got trickier as the day went on, with winds picking up and making it harder for players to navigate the course. 
Also, fun fact: Tommy Fleetwood's bunker shot was ranked #2 in terms of difficulty, according to the PGA tour's Shot Tracer tool! 
What's your take on this leaderboard?
...it's like he just lost steam, you know? That 3-under-par round was a solid effort, but it's not enough when Patrick Reed is crushing it by nine strokes! 
That eagle attempt was insane!
. And don't even get me started on the virtual reality headsets they're using now...it's all just a bunch of hooey! 
I mean, who needs all that fancy tech when you've got good old-fashioned focus and skill? The real golfers know how to win without all that extra baggage 
Patrick Reed's nine-stroke lead over Rory McIlroy has got me wondering if anyone can dethrone him - and I've gotta say, I'm a bit surprised by how well McIlroy bounced back from that first round. He still trails by nine strokes, but he's definitely in the mix now. 
It'll be interesting to see how things play out over the weekend.
i tried watching it last year and just cant wake up for 7 am lol anyway back to mcirolly he's having a tough time huh? idk how hard it is to find rhythm on the course though 
So Rory's having a tough day, huh? I feel him though - one round of golf can totally turn your momentum around. He was down by 8 strokes after the first day and still manages to climb up the leaderboard with a decent score. The guy's got game! 
On the other hand, Patrick Reed is killing it... who wouldn't want to be 9 strokes ahead of the pack? 
I'm loving how excited he must be about this lead - gotta stay focused for the rest of the tournament though! 
Anyways, I guess it's still McIlroy's game to lose... he's still in contention, so that's good 
...but then again, Patrick Reed is on fire 
...Andy Sullivan seems like a solid pick for me, but I gotta give it to Reed, his game is really firing right now 
. It's gonna be so interesting to see how the rest of the tournament unfolds. Anyone got 2 bucks on Rory taking down Patrick? 
anyone think Reed's gonna hold on? 
i feel for him tho, he was so strong last year in this tournament 
! Not sure what McIlroy needs to do differently, but he's still in contention so that's gotta count for something 
. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy's struggles to find his rhythm are nothing new, and it will be fascinating to see how he navigates this challenging course to reclaim his position at the top 
. Will McIlroy be able to close the gap and challenge for the title? Only time will tell 
.
. Get with the times, guys!
, and sometimes it takes a bit for someone to readjust. Patrick Reed is playing some amazing golf right now 
, and I think he's got a good chance of taking home that trophy! The way he played today was just incredible, and I love how he's staying calm under pressure