By Gus "Walk-Off" Fields
Rory McIlroy started the day at the top of the leaderboard. He didn't stay there. A difficult second round at the BMW Championship in St Louis dropped the Northern Irishman five shots behind new leader Wyndham Clark, according to BBC Sport.
McIlroy had shared the overnight lead, the kind of position that usually means a big galley of cameras follows his every shot. Friday's round wasn't that story — it was a grind, the sort of day every golfer has even in a season as strong as McIlroy's has been, and by the close of play Clark had moved clear at the top.
Details on the exact scores for the round were not included in the available reporting, and it's worth naming that limit plainly rather than guessing at a number. What is clear is the shape of the tournament now: Clark in front, McIlroy chasing, and a weekend at St Louis that suddenly has real stakes for both men as the FedEx Cup playoffs grind toward their conclusion.
For McIlroy, five back is not fatal — plenty of tournaments have been won from further behind — but it turns Saturday into a must-move day rather than a coast to the trophy. For Clark, it's a chance to hold a lead against one of the best closers in the game, no small task.
Final score's the last thing that mattered here.
— Compiled from reporting by BBC Sport.
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