Rory McIlroy won’t forget this trip to China.
There was the club sandwich, the food-poisoning, the loss of 10lbs, the promising first round and today’s ‘lethargic’ second round, which was almost jolted into life by a hole in one at the 12th.
McIlroy carded four birdies and four bogeys for a level-par 72 that leaves him 10 shots off the lead, but it could have been nine if this superb tee shot at the 217-yard 12th had not scraped past the hole.
With his girlfriend Erica Stoll looking on, McIlroy struggled around the Sheshan International Golf Club during the second round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.
“I was just so lethargic out there and it got to the stage where I became practically disinterested,” said the 26-year-old. “I was just flat and didn’t play very well at all. It’s certainly left me with a lot to do over the weekend.”
If this had gone in it would have improved his mood.