Rory McIlroy bounced back from his dismal US PGA Championship opening round to not only make the cut, but get back within five shots of halfway leaders Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy at Aronimink Golf Club.
The County Down man, who won the Masters earlier this season, described his Thursday performance as "s**t", but this was 18 holes built on grit and determination as he cut down dramatically on the errors that had threatened a rare missed cut.
Three birdies in all, plenty of looks for more and not a single bogey having had six on Thursday brought McIlroy back into contention, but it remains a jam-packed leaderboard ahead of him with 15 players within two shots of the lead at halfway for just the third time in major history.
McIlroy's performance was almost matched by 54-year-old Pádraig Harrington who shot an excellent 69, with two bogeys in his final four holes spoiling his card somewhat.
The Dubliner, starting on the 10th, picked up three birdies in his first seven holes to get as low as one-over par, but an untidy finish saw him fall seven shots behind.
McIlroy was one of the last groups to begin his second round and he did so eight shots back from clubhouse leader Smalley, with making the cut – which stood at three over at that stage – his first objective.
McIlroy was in the rough off the tee at the first but recovered beautifully to make par before finding birdies at two and four to begin his march up the leaderboard.
He clung on well to par at the eighth after chipping out of the rough but birdie chances slipped away, McIlroy visibly frustrated after missing at the par-five ninth.
The pace of play was agonisingly slow all day and McIlroy took an opportunity for a sit down as he waited to tee off on the 10th.
McIlroy was chipping away and picked up another shot at the 12th. A golden birdie chance slipped away at the par-five 16th as he was unable to make further inroads.
Shane Lowry started two-under par but an error-ridden round, including a disastrous tee shot at the 17th when he found water, saw him walking off at four-over par and two shots outside the projected cut-line.
Despite weather conditions improving for the late starters, that cut-line fell to four-over par, meaning Lowry will at least have a chance to bounce back over the weekend.
The Offaly man began with a bogey at the 10th and it only got worse from there. He inexplicably found the water off the tee at 17, making a double, and three more bogeys came on his back nine.
Tom McKibbin shot a three-over par 73 to move to seven-over par for the tournament, three shots outside the cut-line.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler – who called the pin positions "absurd" post round - had been the big name among a seven-way tie for the lead - the first time he has led after an opening round of a major in his career - as the second day began in south-west Philadelphia.
The world number one struggled off the tee and he slipped away from the top of the leaderboard after three early bogeys.
He hit back well after the turn and headed for the clubhouse on two-under par – just two back - thanks to a morale-boosting birdie on his final hole.
The morning starters had battled a strong breeze which made the challenging greens even more of a test, but that dropped as the evening drew in and yielded birdie chances.
One man who was taking his opportunities was McNealy. He eagled the 16th before making birdies at one, two and five to stretch the leading mark to six under for the first time.
But he came back to the pack with a couple of late bogeys to join Smalley, who began the day in a seven-way tie for the lead and posted a one-under round of 69.
There is a six-strong group a shot back at three under, including Chris Gotterup and former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.
European Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg shot the second-best round of the opening two days, with a sparkling 66 bringing him back into the frame at two under – alongside an illustrious group including Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.
Additional reporting: PA
