McIlroy stays in contention after second round at Wentworth

Rory McIlroy carded a five-under-par 67 in round two of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, leaving the Northern Irishman at eight under overall and four strokes behind second-round leader Ryan Gerard of the United States.

McIlroy opened with three birdies in his first five holes before dropping shots on the eighth and 16th. He responded by gaining four strokes over the closing stretch, including birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.

The reigning Masters champion's pursuit of a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title received a boost when Patrick Reed withdrew after nine holes. The American, who leads the current DP World Tour standings and had been well placed following round one, was forced to retire because of injury while nine over par for the day.

McIlroy said Reed's withdrawal presented an opportunity to make up ground lost during last week's event in Ireland, calling the coming weekend important for tightening the standings ahead of the season's final weeks.

Leaderboard

Ryan Gerard leads after a bogey-free 65 featuring five birdies and an eagle, putting him two shots clear of Australia's Adam Scott and Italy's Filippo Celli at 10 under. US PGA champion Aaron Rai, playing alongside McIlroy and Open champion Ryan Fox, closed with back-to-back birdies for a 69 to sit at nine under alongside Spain's Manuel Elvira.

Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka missed the cut at one over par, as did England's Tommy Fleetwood after a 74 left him three over. Spain's Jon Rahm struggled again, following Thursday's 78 with a 77 to finish last among Friday's completed rounds.