Rory McIlroy entered play Friday at the BMW Championship looking to make a move into contention. McIlroy's opening round was suspended on 18 due to lightning as he was about to attempt his par putt. As frustrating as that likely was, his play Friday was probably even more irritating.

He missed the par putt to close his opening round. That was a harbinger of things to come. McIlroy struggled to get much going throughout his round. But as he made the turn, he was in decent shape. A strong back nine would have put a victory within reach. Instead, he carded a string of pars until he bogeyed the par-3 16th.

That brought him to the tee box on the reachable par-5 17th. Even though his ball cleared the water on the tee shot, his driver did not.

McIlroy chucked his club into the front of the water after watching his ball go wayward. The missed drive would cost him any chance of reaching in two. He would ultimately make par and close with another on 18, finishing his day at 3-under for the tournament. He is 10 shots back of the leader, Adam Scott.

Scott set the course record with a 9-under 63 Friday.

Rory McIlroy's day a microcosm of his 2024 PGA Tour season

Aug 23, 2024; Castle Rock, Colorado, USA; Rory McIlroy after his tee shot on the seventh hole during the second round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club
© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Article Continues Below
More Golf News
Justin Rose hits his second shot on 18 during the first round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin
PGA Tour star shaves off 10 strokes at Memorial into contentionKendall Capps ·
Scottie Scheffler reacts after making his putt on the 14th green during the second round of the Memorial Tournament
Scottie Scheffler has hilarious Mavericks thought at The MemorialKendall Capps ·
Charlie Woods lines up a putt on No. 10 green during the final round of the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club
Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie Woods, lights up golf world with 1st winKendall Capps ·
Graniteville, South Carolina, USA; Charlie Woods tees off No. 11 during the final round of the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club.
Tiger Woods’ son Charlie earns first-ever junior victoryMiguel La Torre ·
Xander Schauffele reacts after missing a putt 15th green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow
Xander Schauffele uses ‘corked bat’ metaphor to explain driver controversyKendall Capps ·
Nick Saban and Ryan Day walk the 14th fairway during the Workday Golden Bear Pro-Am at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio on May 28, 2025.
Ohio State football earns new fan in Justin Thomas at Nick Saban’s expenseKendall Capps ·

On its face, Rory McIlroy is having a pretty good year. McIroy won the Wells Fargo Championship and Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He has six top-10s and made 16 of 17 cuts.

Yet, the bar is so high for the only three-time FedEx Cup winner, that anything short of contending on a Sunday is a let down. It appears like McIlroy agrees, seeing the frustration during the end of his second round.

He is carrying an insane weight on his shoulders. It has been more than 10 years since McIlroy won his last major championship. After winning four early in his career, it appeared as though he was on a historic path. But one near miss after another has marred his legacy to some degree.

Earlier this year, McIlroy choked away his chances at the U.S. Open. He missed two putts inside five feet down the stretch Sunday, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to slide past for the win.

Like that tournament and so many others, it has been up and down. After carding a 1-under 71 Friday, he is going to need a strong weekend to gain as many FedEx Cup Playoff points as possible if he wants any chance of catching Scottie Scheffler in East Lake.

He is projected to be eighth in the FedEx Cup Playoff standings if these results hold. That would place McIlroy almost 10 shots back of Scheffler to begin next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta.