LONDON: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy blazed a trail to the top of the BMW PGA Championship leaderboard with a scintillating seven-under 65 in his second round at Wentworth on Friday. Starting the day a couple of shots behind leader Lucas Bjerregaard, McIlroy gave an iron-play masterclass and matched it with a fine putting display to card seven birdies as he moved to 12 under for the tournament. McIlroy, bidding to win the European Tour’s flagship event for the second time after his 2014 triumph, was playing with Swede Alex Noren and England’s Lee Westwood with the trio not dropping a shot between them on a becalmed West Course. Noren is on seven under with Westwood at five under. Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat played his way up the leaderboard but, like on Thursday, found water on the way to bogeying the 18th. He ended with a 69 to leave him tied with Noren and England’s Robert Rock who took the early clubhouse lead with an impressive round of 68. Denmark’s Bjerregaard failed to build on his opening-day 65, struggling to a one-over 73 after a double-bogey on the 18th. It took a while for McIlroy to fire up his putter. He failed to make birdie on the opening three holes but did so on the fourth, seventh and ninth. The 29-year-old added four more birdies on his inward nine and his round could have been even better but for two disappointing pars on the par-five 17th and 18th. His 36-hole total of 132 was only one shot off the record for the tournament and he will take some stopping. Published in Daily Times, May 26th 2018.