Canadian Open: Rory McIlroy in contention with Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai one off halfway lead

Carl Yuan holds the halfway lead with Aaron Rai, Tyrrell Hatton, Corey Conners and CT Pan all one back; Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose both three behind heading into the weekend; watch live on Saturday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf

Rory McIlroy closed with three strokes of the halfway lead at the RBC Canadian Open, as Tyrrell Hatton charged into contention with a stunning second round.

McIlroy, chasing a third consecutive Canadian victory after wins in 2019 and 2022, birdied his final two holes to close a bogey-free 67 at Oakdale Golf & Country Club and move to six under.

The world No 3 opened with seven pars before following a close-range birdie at the eighth by rolling in from 15 feet at the tenth and picking up another shot at the par-three 14th.

McIlroy is chasing a third consecutive RBC Canadian Open victory

McIlroy drained a 20-foot effort at the par-four 17th and made a two-putt birdie at the par-five last after missing his eagle try, leaving him in touch with leader Carl Yuan heading into the weekend.

“It was a better, more solid round,” McIlroy said. “I feel pretty good with where I’m at. Would have been nice to be one or two closer to the lead, but I thought [Friday] went well.”

Yuan birdied three of his last four holes to post a five-under 67 and set the place on nine under, while Hatton fired a round-of-the-day 64 to join Rai, CT Pan and home favourite Corey Conners in a share of second.

Hatton made five consecutive birdies around the turn and nine in total but failed to find another at the last for a share of the lead, with Rai making a three-under 69 and Pan recovering from a double-bogey in his round to card a second-round 66.

Rose – playing alongside McIlroy – matched his partner in producing a birdie-birdie finish, leaving the former world No 1 part of the congested group within three strokes of the halfway lead.

English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Harry Hall are both five behind, with Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick a further stroke back, while Sam Burns – among the pre-tournament favourites – missed the cut.

Watch the RBC Canadian Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.