Carl Yuan holds the halfway lead with Aaron Rai, Tyrrell Hatton, Corey Conners and CT Pan all one back; Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose both three behind heading into the weekend; watch live on Saturday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf
Last Updated: 10/06/23 12:12am
Rory McIlroy closed with three strokes of the halfway lead at the RBC Canadian Open, as Tyrrell Hatton charged into contention with a stunning second round.
McIlroy, chasing a third consecutive Canadian victory after wins in 2019 and 2022, birdied his final two holes to close a bogey-free 67 at Oakdale Golf & Country Club and move to six under.
The world No 3 opened with seven pars before following a close-range birdie at the eighth by rolling in from 15 feet at the tenth and picking up another shot at the par-three 14th.
McIlroy is chasing a third consecutive RBC Canadian Open victory
McIlroy drained a 20-foot effort at the par-four 17th and made a two-putt birdie at the par-five last after missing his eagle try, leaving him in touch with leader Carl Yuan heading into the weekend.
“It was a better, more solid round,” McIlroy said. “I feel pretty good with where I’m at. Would have been nice to be one or two closer to the lead, but I thought [Friday] went well.”
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Yuan birdied three of his last four holes to post a five-under 67 and set the place on nine under, while Hatton fired a round-of-the-day 64 to join Rai, CT Pan and home favourite Corey Conners in a share of second.
Hatton made five consecutive birdies around the turn and nine in total but failed to find another at the last for a share of the lead, with Rai making a three-under 69 and Pan recovering from a double-bogey in his round to card a second-round 66.
Rose – playing alongside McIlroy – matched his partner in producing a birdie-birdie finish, leaving the former world No 1 part of the congested group within three strokes of the halfway lead.
English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Harry Hall are both five behind, with Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick a further stroke back, while Sam Burns – among the pre-tournament favourites – missed the cut.
Watch the RBC Canadian Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.