Sungjae Im took the 36-hole lead at the Truist Championship on Friday at 9-under, while Rory McIlroy answered with a 4-under 67 to move back into the mix at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
McIlroy, playing his first tournament since winning the Masters on April 12, was four shots behind Im after 36 holes. He had been 1-under and eight shots back when he made the turn Friday, then birdied Nos. 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16 to keep pushing up the truist championship leaderboard before his round ended with a bogey chance gone when he lipped out his par putt from a greenside bunker on the par-4 18th.
The round carried real weight because it was McIlroy’s first competitive test in seven weeks and came after he spent much of the spring away from tournament play. He said the day gave him a chance to get back in the hunt, adding that he started to make better swings, especially with his irons. He also noted that playing one tournament in seven weeks makes the rhythms on the course different from the range, where the swings can feel more familiar than they do once a scorecard is in hand.
Im’s lead has a different story behind it. He has battled through a wrist injury this season and had only one top-40 finish before this event, yet he still reached 9-under and kept the top spot. Tommy Fleetwood stayed close with a 67 for the second straight day and trailed Im by one shot, while Justin Thomas and Alex Fitzpatrick were two back. Rickie Fowler shot the low round of the day with an 8-under 63 that included nine birdies, and Cameron Young, after a 70, was five shots behind.
Fleetwood said he will play in the final pairing with Im on Saturday, and that pairing gives the weekend a clear center of gravity. McIlroy’s 14 straight greens in regulation showed the ball-striking that can quickly change a leaderboard, but he still finished with work to do. The question now is whether Im can hold off the pressure of a close-packed chase group, or whether one more low round from McIlroy or Fleetwood will turn Friday’s recovery into a real move at the title.
