Rory McIlroy ‘right in the tournament’ after tough start to US PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy feels he is “right in the tournament” after an impressive second round pulled him to within five shots of the halfway lead at the US PGA Championship.

McIlroy was furious after a four-over-par first round as his bid for back-to-back majors started in disappointing fashion.

He started his second round at Aronimink Golf Club in south-west Philadelphia eight shots off the clubhouse lead but will he enter ‘moving day’ five back from Americans Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy after a bogey-free 67.

Rory McIlroy cards a flawless 67 with three birdies at Aronimink.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/JUnNWic80m

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 15, 2026

Only two players have shot lower over the opening two days – Chris Gotterup with a 65 and Ludvig Aberg a 66 – and it is a congested leaderboard with 15 players within two shots of the midway lead for only the third time in major history.

McIlroy labelled his open round “s***” and, asked to describe his second, replied: “Not as s***.”

He added: “At five back I do feel like I’m right in the tournament and that’s really what I wanted to do today was to just get myself back in it.

“I think this afternoon I had a better understanding of how the course was playing. I probably went out there yesterday being a little too aggressive, thinking that guys were going to go lower than they were.

“Because I certainly didn’t, in the practice rounds, see it playing as difficult as it has played.”

It was a slow pace, as is common at major championships. McIlroy sat down on the 10th tee as his group waited to play. It took over five hours to complete his round.

“It seems like the first two days of major championship golf are always going to be like that,” McIlroy added.

Aronimink has