Flawless Fleetwood leads as McIlroy rallies
Fleetwood
- Published
DP World India Championship - second round
-12 T Fleetwood (Eng); -11 S Lowry (Ire), B Harman (US); -10 K Nakajima (Jpn) -9 B Robinson-Thompson (Eng), J Luiten (Ned)
Selected others: -8 A Fitzpatrick (Eng); -7 B Griffin (US), A Sullivan (Eng); -6 R McIlroy (NI), V Hovland (Nor); -5 L Donald (Eng)
Tommy Fleetwood fired a superb eight-under round of 64 to take the halfway lead at the DP World India Championship, while Rory McIlroy finished strongly to stay in touch.
England's Fleetwood carded eight birdies in a bogey-free round to lead former Open champions Shane Lowry and Brian Harman by a shot at Delhi Golf Club.
Overnight leader Lowry - playing with European Ryder Cup team-mate Fleetwood - made four birdies and a bogey in a 69 while Harman carded a 65 to surge up the leaderboard.
World number five Fleetwood is chasing his eighth DP World Tour title after claiming the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup in August.
"I hit it in the fairway a lot and gave myself some chances with irons," said Fleetwood.
"It's easy talking about how many things you did well when you shot eight under, but it was a really good round of golf."
While Fleetwood enjoyed serene progress on Friday, McIlroy was 10 shots adrift after mixing two birdies with three bogeys over the first 12 holes.
But the world number two picked up four shots in his last six holes to post his second successive 69 and join Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland on six under.
"I felt like my approach play was pretty scrappy, missed an iron shot right on four, so that's not ideal," said McIlroy, who shook hands with Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar after finishing his round.
"Being a little tidier and keep the bogeys off the scorecard, I think I can have a good weekend and get closer to the leaders."
US Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin - playing with McIlroy and Hovland - recovered from a slow start to card his second straight 68 and sit four shots off Fleetwood.
Japan's Keita Nakajima is 10 under after following a 65 with a 69, while Shubhankar Sharma is the leading Indian player on four under after a bogey-free 66.