Rory McIlroy echoes Tiger Woods by almost pulling out due to back problems as he puts in ultimate Jekyll and Hyde round in South Africa
World No 2 played eight holes in eight under par but revealed he tweaked his back and thought about withdrawing
RORY McILROY echoed Tiger Woods by almost pulling out due to back pain as he put in the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde round.
The world No 2 played eight holes in eight under par but admitted he was nearly forced out of his season-opening BMW South African Open because he was in so much pain.
He said: "I actually thought about pulling out before even teeing off today. I tweaked my back somehow and the first few shots weren't very comfortable.
"I can't really take a deep breath. I'm going for treatment now."
Woods made his competitive return last month after 14 months out of the game due to three back surgeries.
McIlroy sits three off the lead after an astonishing eagle, birdie, birdie, par, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie run from holes eight to 15 of his second round.
It was all the more remarkable as it came after he was two over through four holes.
That rocky start included a double-hit chip from just off the green on the par-five second, for which McIlroy called a penalty on himself, and a double-bogey on the par-four fourth after his second shot hit a sprinkler and landed in a bush.
McIlroy, using all new clubs, was a whopping nine shots off the lead at that point.
But now he is primed and ready to break his jinx of never winning his first tournament of the year - so long as his back holds out.
His putting was electric - eight one-putts in a row does the job - but part of the key to his success was his monstrous length off the tee.
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McIlroy simply tore apart the Glendower course in Ekurhuleni. His drive on the 433-yard 11th measured 386 yards.
Ironically it led to the only par of that magical eight-hole stretch after his tee shot landed right next to the hole but ran through the back of the green.
Then he caught a plugged lie in the bunker on the last after duffing a wedge and another dropped shot saw him sign for a four-under-par 68 to finish nine under.
Englishman Graeme Storm leads after a course-record equalling nine-under-par 63 put him top on 12 under before play was suspended due to the threat of lightning.