MEXICO CITY — Sore ribs or sore stomach, it doesn’t seem to matter to Rory McIlroy. After being gone for seven weeks, he took a two-shot lead into the weekend at the Mexico Championship with a chance to return to No. 1 in the world.
McIlroy holed out from 156 yards for eagle on the 14th hole, part of a three-hole stretch Friday when he seized control at Chapultepec Golf Club. McIlroy missed putts inside 6 feet on his last three holes – one for par, two for birdie – but still shot a 6-under 65.
“Look, I’m in a great position,” McIlroy said. “But I felt like I could have been a few more ahead.”
He got 14 hours of sleep to help overcome a stomach virus and said he was feeling a little better.
His game looked better than ever.
McIlroy was at 9-under 133, two shots ahead of Phil Mickelson (68), Justin Thomas (66) and Ross Fisher (68).
McIlroy is playing for the first time since losing a playoff Jan. 15 in South Africa. He was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his rib the next day and missed four tournaments on his schedule to make sure it healed properly.
He showed that blend of power and balance in the thin air of Mexico City and struck his irons close for much of the day. His longest birdie putt was 12 feet, and McIlroy had reason to lament the ones that got away. He missed four putts from 6 feet or closer.
“I just felt like I had a bit more energy. I had a bit more pep in my step,” McIlroy said. “I wasn’t just trying to get through the round today, I was trying to build on the score that I had and it was nice to feel like that again.”
LPGA: Inbee Park birdied the final hole for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Michelle Wie, Ariya Jutanugarn and Hur Mi-Jung in the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.
Park made a double bogey on the 12th hole – the South Korean star’s only blemish in two rounds – but rebounded with birdies on 14 and 18. The Olympic champion had a 10-under 134 total.
Wie followed her opening 66 with a bogey-free 69. Hur shot 67, and Jutanugarn had a 68.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko (68) was 7 under.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Scotland’s Scott Jamieson shot a 6-under 65 in Pretoria, South Africa, for a share of the Tshwane Open lead with Sweden’s Alexander Bjork.
Bjork had a 67 to match Jamieson at 10-under 132 at Pretoria Country Club. England’s James Morrison was a stroke back after a 66.
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