Rory McIlroy didn’t improve his chances of regaining golf’s world No.1 ranking, but he held up under pressure on Friday to guarantee himself two more rounds at the US PGA Tour Houston Open.
Steve Wheatcroft, who booked his place in the field in a Monday qualifier, topped the leaderboard with a second-straight 67 to be 10-under-par after two rounds of the $US6.2 million ($A5.96 million) tournament.
Wheatcroft had five birdies without a bogey and had a one-shot lead over Jason Kokrak and overnight leader DA Points.
Points had one birdie in his one-under 71 while Kokrak countered his double-bogey six at the 17th with five birdies in a 69.
It was a further two strokes back to England’s Brian Davis (70) and American Stewart Cink (66) on 137.
Matt Jones shot a one-over-par round to be the leading Australian at three-under.
Although he was well down the leaderboard, McIlroy was squarely in the spotlight.
His two-under 70 included three birdies and a bogey and left him on one-under 143 for the tournament, making the cut with no room to spare.
“As I said, no one likes missing cuts,” McIlroy said after his morning round, when he still thought Houston would mark his last start before the Masters.
Later in the day, the PGA Tour said McIlroy had committed to play next week’s Texas Open in San Antonio, giving him one more tune-up for the year’s first major.
Through Friday he had played just 10 competitive rounds in 2013 and seen Tiger Woods supplant him atop the world rankings.
McIlroy, whose opening 73 on Thursday put him in danger of an early exit, teed off on 10 and picked up back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th.
After a bogey at the second, he got up-and-down for a birdie on the par-five eighth.
He two-putted from 40 feet for par on his finishing hole, the 236-yard ninth.
McIlroy has struggled in the early going this year as he adjusts to new clubs.
Although a victory in this tournament would see him regain the top ranking from Woods, he came in saying he was more focused on getting his game in shape for Augusta National.