Rory McIlroy positioned himself as a strong contender at the BMW PGA Championship on Friday with a five-under-par 67 in the second round at Wentworth, closing the gap to four shots behind leader Ryan Gerard. The Northern Irishman recovered from a challenging finish to his opening round, which included three bogeys over the last six holes, and displayed consistent scoring through his second round to remain in the hunt.

McIlroy opened the day with three birdies in his first five holes but dropped a shot at the par-four eighth before reaching the turn in 33 strokes. He regained momentum with a birdie on the 11th hole and recorded additional birdies on the 14th and the final hole. Although he bogeyed the 16th after his second shot found the rough, he narrowly missed an eagle opportunity on the 17th before tapping in for a birdie to close his round.

Patrick Reed, currently McIlroy’s main rival in the Race to Dubai standings, retired during his second round due to injury after struggling at nine over par. Reed’s withdrawal could enhance McIlroy’s chances of securing a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title.

American Ryan Gerard leads the tournament following a six-under 65 that included an eagle on the 17th and a closing birdie to reach 11 under par. Gerard had begun the day at five under and surged forward with his strong back nine.

Other notable performances include Adam Scott of Australia, who carded a 67 to stand at 10 under. Scott, who described himself as "mentally fresh" despite feeling slightly underprepared, dropped three bogeys but maintained a solid positioning near the top.

Italy’s Filippo Celli, making his debut at Wentworth after recently regaining his tour card, posted a 66 with seven birdies and one bogey. Meanwhile, U.S. PGA Champion Aaron Rai finished with a birdie-birdie sequence to shoot 69 and reach nine under, tied with Spain’s Manuel Elvira.

JJ Spaun birdied the 18th for an eagle and signed for a 66, sitting at eight under alongside McIlroy, Ryan Fox, Nacho Elvira, and England’s Ross Fisher, who also posted five-under 67. Matt Wallace holds seventh place alone at seven under. Jordan Smith, who had an eventful round with two eagles and a double bogey, is tied for 10th at six under with defending champion Alex Noren, who moved up the leaderboard with a five-under round.

Notable players missing the cut include Tommy Fleetwood, who finished the day three over par, and two-time major winner Jon Rahm, who struggled throughout the round, carding a 77 and bringing his total to 11 over—his highest 36-hole score of his career.