Rory McIlroy admitted he was relieved just to get off the course after a gusty closing birdie left him a nervous wait to see if he makes the cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

The world number eight started the day tied for 75th on level par at Yas Links with only the top 65 and ties making the weekend.

But while he moved inside the top 40 when he followed a three-putt bogey at the sixth with a spectacular eagle three from six feet at the 591-yard seventh, he bogeyed the ninth, then dropped four shots in five holes from the 13th to find himself outside the cut line on four-over.

In cold winds gusting to 30 mph, the Holywood star knew he needed a birdie at the 646-yard 18th to have any chance of making the weekend and got it when he hit two stellar woods to within 43 yards of the pin, pitched to seven feet and watched the putt sneak in the left side of the hole.

"I've never been so glad to get off the golf course," a relieved McIlroy said as he left the 18th to sign for a three-over 75 that left him sitting on the three-over cut mark with 38 players still to finish tomorrow morning.

Scores

Shocked by the cold and windy conditions, he added: "I can't remember when it's been like this here. I played in a couple of sandstorms in Dubai and a couple of mornings it's been cold in Abu Dhabi, but nothing like this.

"It's obviously generous off the tee. Big greens. But then it's the lag putting and leaving yourself a lot of six-footers for par. Having to play either double the break or one hole, wind affects it and next hole, it doesn't.

"A putt can change by a cup or more (because of the wind). It's just really tricky. I knew I needed to birdie the last to make the cut.

"How I've played is just as thought-free as possible and play the conditions and the shots that I needed to play. I thought I drove it all right.

"There's a couple iron shots that got away from me, but apart from that, I didn't feel like I did all that badly. I think my short of lost shots have been around the greens mostly the last couple days."

He's 10 strokes behind clubhouse leader Scott Jamieson, the overnight pacesetter, who followed his course record 63 with a 74 to lead by a shot on seven-under from Viktor Hovland (74), Ian Poulter (72) and James Morrison (14 holes) with Shane Lowry just two behind on five-under after a 72.

But with play suspended due to darkness after a 25-minute delay to the afternoon tee times and 38 players still to finish in what are forecast to be more favourable conditions on Saturday morning, McIlroy knows he could still be bumped out.

"I feel like I'm hitting it well," he said. "Hit it well on the range this morning. It's all in there. But hopefully I get to play the weekend and we'll have a couple of calm days. I'd just like another two competitive days of play and see where I'm at."

Lowry was "absolutely thrilled" to overcome winds gusting to 30 mph and remain in contention for his first win for two and a half years.

Without a win since the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the Offaly ace (34) chiselled out a level par 72 to go into the weekend tied for fifth.

"I played okay," Lowry said. "I feel like I didn't really have my A game in the wind today that I normally would. I hit some loose shots that generally would be better, but it was just so tough out there, so tough, every part of it.
"Putting was probably the hardest thing, but yeah, I'm absolutely thrilled with 72, to be honest. First tournament of the year, I was happy with five-under yesterday and I'm happy with level par today, and hopefully it doesn't get up too much and the boys stay out there this morning and I'll be there going into the weekend."

Starting on the back nine, Lowry knocked in a 20 footer for his first birdie of the day at the 12th.

He would hand that shot back at the 16th, then three-putt the third from nearly 70 feet. But while another shot went at the fifth as the course played four shots harder than on day one, he made back to back birdies at the next two holes, rattling in a 20 footer at the 468-yard sixth before splashing out to four feet and holing the putt at the par-five seventh.

He then rounded off a demanding morning by slotting home an 11 footer for a hard-fought par at the ninth.
"I don't love it," Lowry said of his assumed love of tough, windy conditions. "I'd prefer it was calm, but I know how to play in those conditions.

"I knew going out this morning that it would be up. I knew that go out and just play my game and do my thing. Because it's in the wind, I think about it a lot less, and I just hit the shots, and I just hit the shots I see.

"That's what makes me so good in the wind, I think. I just kind of play with a lot of feel. Yeah, it worked. I was decent today, and hopefully, it's not going to be as windy the weekend, but it will still be blustery. Yeah, we'll see."

Pádraig Harrington shot a one-under 71 — one of the best rounds of the morning — and will make the cut with ease on level par.

The two-time Open champion had a torrid time on the greens on Thursday.

But he was far better today, and while he followed two opening birdies with a double-bogey six following his first-ever double hit with a chip shot at the 12th, he birdied the 17th and seventh before handing back a shot at the eighth, finishing his day tied for 30th.

"These conditions are very tricky and Rory would want the fairest conditions, and if you are one of the best players, you would want the fairest conditions," Harrington said. "You would want everything to be nice and in order, and throw in a bit of luck.

"The last thing Rory would want is for luck to be involved. You needed luck out there today. Okay, you have to have a good attitude and ride your bad luck, but definitely, Rory would want fair conditions.”

On the Asian Tour, Waterford’s Kevin Phelan missed the cut in the SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course.

The former Walker Cup star followed a level par 71 with a 78 to finish four shots outside the mark on seven-over.

American Sihwan Kim leads on nine-under. Scores