Wyndham Clark Leads BMW Championship as Rory McIlroy Slips Five Back

Wyndham Clark took sole possession of the BMW Championship lead after reaching 12 under through two rounds in St Louis, while Rory McIlroy slipped five shots behind. Clark produced a bogey-free second round and moved one stroke clear of Gary Woodland, according to BBC Sport’s report and published leaderboard.

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McIlroy had shared the overnight lead with Clark after opening with a six-under-par round. The Masters champion followed that performance with a one-under 69 on Friday, leaving him at seven under for the tournament. His second round included one bogey, which came after a mistake at the par-five eighth hole.

Speaking to Golf Channel after the round, McIlroy said the conditions remained suitable for low scoring despite a change in wind direction. He acknowledged that he had not struck the ball as well as he did in the opening round and planned to work on his game at the driving range. McIlroy also pointed to several successful par putts on the back nine that prevented him from losing further ground.

Clark, by contrast, completed another round without a dropped shot. BBC Sport reported that the 32-year-old was the only player in the field to avoid a bogey across the first two rounds. His 12-under total placed him one ahead of Woodland and two clear of JJ Spaun, who occupied third place at 10 under.

South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and American Chris Gotterup were tied at nine under, with Patrick Cantlay and Michael Thorbjornsen another shot back. McIlroy shared seventh place at seven under with Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley and Maverick McNealy. The group remained five shots from Clark’s lead entering the weekend.

Among other selected players on the leaderboard, England’s Justin Rose was at four under. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick were at three under, while Alex Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood stood at two under. Aaron Rai was one under. Clark’s clean scorecard gave him the advantage at halfway, but the closely packed leaderboard left several players within striking distance before the third round.