Rory McIlroy overcame the lingering effects of a first-round penalty controversy to post a remarkable 9-under 63 on Friday at the Abu Dhabi Championship. The Masters champion recorded 11 birdies during his second round at Yas Links, bringing his cumulative score to 11 under par after two days of play.
The Northern Irishman acknowledged the favorable conditions that aided his performance, noting that the course was very gettable with minimal wind. He stated that he expected to be two or three shots behind the lead entering the weekend, a position he considered significantly better than his initial expectations.
The penalty issue originated on Thursday when officials ruled that McIlroy had improved his lie on a hole where he had made a double-bogey. This decision resulted in a two-shot penalty, leaving him eight shots off the lead held by Francesco Laporta after the first round. McIlroy explained that he made peace with the decision before leaving the course on Thursday, preferring to be two shots worse off rather than facing accusations of cheating. He said he had a clear conscience on Friday, which allowed him to play without the incident weighing on his mind.
His second round began with a bogey, but he quickly found his rhythm by making three birdies over the next six holes. The turning point came from the ninth hole, where he recorded five consecutive birdies. Although he made a second bogey on the 14th hole, he finished strong with three birdies on the final four holes.
McIlroy credited his solid performance to improved ball striking and putting. He noted that he drove the ball well, hit his irons effectively, and saw more putts drop than he had in recent months. He revealed that he had worked on his putting with Brad Faxon the previous week to address these areas.
At the top of the leaderboard, Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, and Francesco Laporta are in a three-way tie at 12 under par. Hatton shot a 65, which included eight birdies, but he admitted to making a couple of mistakes, including a missed par putt on the 16th hole. The Englishman expressed satisfaction with his recent form, noting it was nice to put together decent scores after a month and a half of inconsistent play.
McIlroy is currently tied at 11 under with Matthew Jordan, Adrian Meronk, and Sam Bairstow. As this event serves as the next-to-last tournament of the 2026 season, a major subplot involves the battle for the Race to Dubai title, which designates the top player on the European tour for the year.
The race for the title appears to be down to McIlroy, Patrick Reed, and Eugenio Chacarra, who currently leads the standings. A victory or a strong finish could secure McIlroy a fifth consecutive Race to Dubai title. Such an achievement would tie his career total at eight with Colin Montgomerie, who won the award when it was known as the Order of Merit.
