Clark and McIlroy Friday back nine turns into a carnival

Clark and McIlroy have epic back nine on Friday

By Jim Bebbington

If Saturday at PGA Tour events is ‘moving day,’ then Friday at this year’s BMW Championship could rightly be considered survive-and-advance day.

Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy played together for the second-straight day, and after both had workmen-like front nines, the wheels started to wobble for both on the back.

McIlroy tossed his driver into the lake on No. 17, then scrambled back down the bank to get it back. On the same hole Clark went so far right into the woods he needed a near miracle to get out. He got it.

Clark hit his tee shot on 16 to one foot. McIlroy on the 658-yard par 5 No. 14 hit his second shot behind the green – and the viewing stands. He had to settle for a par after muffing his first recovery chip.

Clark said after the round his recovery shot on No. 17 was his shot of the day.

His drive on the 527-yard par 5 ended up 20 yards right, at the bottom of a steep slope, behind the gallery, and behind five large tree trunks. His shot path that he focused on went first through two of the tree trunks – maybe two-feet of gap – up the slope, then needed to go through a gap of about 15 feet between two more trees. After a particularly long deliberation he spanked the shot and received the roar of cheers from fans who had packed tight along his intended flight path.

The ball landed in the fairway 125 yards from the pin.

“I’m kind of bummed it didn’t result in a birdie,” he said. “But I was really (angry) I hit it over there. Of all the times I’ve played here, I’ve never been that far right. It was a challenging shot because I couldn’t ground my club. Upslope, but I had to go either above or below or a tree; if you pull it, it goes in the water. There’s so many variables. Just to pull it off and not hit a tree was something great, and then to not be in the rough was even greater. Definitely the shot of the day for me.”

McIlroy did not make himself available to the local media after the round.

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