Resilient McIlroy digs deep to maintain Dubai Invitational lead

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off on the fourth hole on Day 2 of the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. (Getty Images Europe)

• A tough second day for the Norther Irishman saw him hit a quadruple-bogey but still leave a two-shot gap at the top
• McIlroy has a fine record in the UAE, winning three Dubai Desert Classics

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy overcame windy conditions and a quadruple-bogey to keep hold of his two-shot lead heading into the weekend at the Dubai Invitational.
The World No. 2 had dominated the first day in the desert, carding a bogey-free 62 to begin the defense of his Race to Dubai title. He would not have it all his own way in round two at Dubai Creek Resort, however, going from four ahead to a four-way tie at the top after finding the water twice at the eighth.
But he is not a four-time major champion for nothing, and three birdies on the back nine saw him sign for a 70 and lead the way from German Yannik Paul and Dane Jeff Winther at 10 under.
McIlroy has a fine record in the UAE, winning three Dubai Desert Classics — including the first of his 16 DP World Tour titles in 2009 — and two DP World Tour Championships. He will defend the Hero Dubai Desert Classic title that brought him his first Rolex Series win next week and feels his game is in a good place.
“I think if I look at the other 17 holes that I played, I played very, very well again,” he said. “Hit some good iron shots, played not too dissimilarly to the way I played yesterday. I maybe holed a couple more putts yesterday but the conditions were getting a little trickier. The wind was up, greens were firm and I had a couple of miscues on the eighth hole.
“I felt like I did well just to get my head back into it and play some solid golf on the way in and everyone seemed to find it a little more difficult today than yesterday. So, it’s nice to go into the weekend still with the lead.”
In the team event, host Abdulla Al-Naboodah led the way by two shots after contributing three birdies and a par in a 67 alongside Pablo Larrazabal and will play with McIlroy in Saturday’s final team round.
Meanwhile, following the conclusion of their second rounds, legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback John Elway were both full of praise for the inaugural Dubai Invitational.
“I had a blast, I had a wonderful time,” said Fitzgerald Jr, who played alongside professional Adrian Meronk in round two of the tournament and Tom McKibbin on day one. “Adrian’s a special gentleman and to watch him go out there and play today, and to play with Tom yesterday, was great.”
Elway, who played alongside Dane Thomas Bjorn on day two of the tournament, added: “The last couple of days have been tremendous. Playing with Thomas was really special and we had a lot of fun. The course is fantastic and the weather is perfect, so it’s a tremendous tournament.”