RORY McILROY hauled himself back from the brink of disaster with a brilliant birdie blast in the second round of the USPGA Championship.
McIlroy looked certain to be catching an early flight home as he played his first three holes in five over par plunging to seven over for the tournament and he was still floundering on that mark with six holes to play.
But he suddenly rediscovered some of the magic that brought made him world No 1 and brought him four Major triumphs, as he rattled off four birdies to guarantee his place for the weekend.
He finished with a 71 when a 77 looked more likely, and at three over par he can still dream of a miracle fightback it would not be the first time he has won in America after just scraping through the cut.
Mere survival may not be much to shout about considering how high McIlory has set the bar, but at least he showed far more grit than we have seen from him when he has been under the cosh in the past.
He commented: That was all about showing pride pride in my performance and pride in my ability to tough it out when things are not going well. I dont like missing cuts. No-one does.
I thought if I could get to four under I would have a good chance of getting through , so going one better it a little bit of a bonus. If I can shoot a low one tomorrow I will still have a chance and you have t at least give yourself a chance.
HAT-TRICK OF BIRDIES
McIlroy, 30, made only one birdie in his opening 72, at the 18th, but signed off by saying he hoped that would be a turning point.
But it looked like it might prove the high point instead, as he set out from the tenth and sandwiched a bogey at the 11th with a couple of horrendous doubles, spraying the ball into the industrial strength rough at Bethpage.
He did manage a bounce back birdie at the long 13th, only to give that shot back two holes later, and things did not start to improve until he took care of the only other par five at Bethpage, the fourth.
He followed up by nailing 25 footers to complete a hat-trick of birdies, and when he rammed home a twenty footer for a two on the short eighth hole the recovery was complete.
McIlroy was still ten shots behind overnight leader Brooks Koepka who had not even started his second round and eight behind clubhouse pace-setter Jordan Spieth, who has the career Grand Slam firmly in his sights.
Spieth, 25, is making his third bid to complete the set, and rounds of 69-66 have put him in a great position at five under par.
And after failing to win since his dramatic third Major victory at the Open two years ago, he is looking a lot more like the man who could not seem to miss with a putter in his hand as he showed by nailing a forty footer for the last of his six birdies.
He said: My confidence has been building nicely, and Im at the stage now where Im thinking less about what can go wrong, and more about trying to force things to go right.
Spieths playing partner, world No 1 Dustin Johnson, is also in good shape after a 67 took him to four under par, the same mark as Daniel Berger, another member of the famous class of 2011.