• McIlroy seals weekend spot will nerveless putt on 18th• Willett and Rahm lead the way on 11 under parIt was always likely to come down to this. Rory McIlroy’s playing of the final two holes of the Wentworth west course in three over par on Thursday left him embroiled in a second-day battle just to make the BMW PGA Championship cut. McIlroy duly reached the 17th tee needing to play the last two holes of his second round in level to take his place in Saturday’s draw. A chip in from behind the 16th green meant McIlroy needed two, error-free holes; five-five would suffice.
The four-times major winner delivered a straightforward par on 17 before carving an approach to the last right. A chip from a treacherous position left McIlroy with two putts from 40ft to make the cut. He left the first 6ft short, proving how a sense of drama is never far from this golfer’s scene. McIlroy converted confidently from there; his 69 and one-over-par aggregate means 36 more holes.