Tommy Fleetwood continued his impressive late-season form by firing an 8-under 64 to grab a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the DP World India Championship, while Rory McIlroy fought to stay within striking distance on Friday.
Fleetwood has been on quite a roll lately. He won the Tour Championship for his first PGA Tour victory just two months ago—pocketing a cool $10 million as FedExCup champion—and then led Team Europe in points during their Ryder Cup triumph.
Now the world No. 5 is setting the pace at what’s arguably the most significant golf tournament ever held in India. His bogey-free second round featured eight birdies, pushing him to 12 under for the tournament.
Fleetwood’s final birdie came from 8 feet at his closing hole, the par-4 9th, giving him a one-shot advantage over former Open champions Shane Lowry (69) and Brian Harman (65), who share second place at 11 under.
Three shots behind them sits American Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin, who’s part of a tie for seventh at 8 under.
McIlroy hit a rough patch with consecutive bogeys early in his back nine but rebounded nicely, making birdies on four of his final six holes. The second-ranked player in the world posted another 69 to reach 6 under, matching European teammate Viktor Hovland (67).
After completing his round at the tree-lined Delhi Golf Club, McIlroy removed his cap and shook hands with Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who was attending as a special guest.
