Rory McIlroy shoots 67 to move into contention at Truist Championship, 4 shots back of Sungjae Im

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — It took 27 holes, but Rory McIlroy started to return to his Masters form.

The No. 2 player in the world heated up on the back nine Friday at Quail Hollow and finished with a 4-under 67 to climb into contention at the Truist Championship, four shots behind 36-hole leader Sungjae Im, who was at 9-under 133.

Playing his first tournament since winning the green jacket for a second time on April 12 at Augusta National, McIlroy was 1 under and buried on the leaderboard eight shots back when he made the turn.

But birdies at No. 10 and 11 got him rolling and he seemed to feed off the energy from the crowd, just as he’s done in his previous four wins in Charlotte, where he has a large following.

McIlroy’s approach shots got closer and closer, and he added birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 16. He shot 32 on the back nine despite lipping out his par putt on the par-4 18th hole after finding a greenside bunker.

“It was a good day to get myself back in the hunt, and feel like I have a real chance going into the weekend,” McIlroy said.

At one point, McIlroy hit 14 straight greens in regulation — a personal course record.

“I started to make some good swings, especially with the irons,” McIlroy said. “I played one tournament in seven weeks, so I think just getting the reps under my belt a little bit and getting a scorecard in my hand. I feel like your patterns on the golf course are always a little bit different than your patterns on the range, or it is for me anyway.”

McIlroy isn’t the only big name in contention.

Tommy Fleetwood shot 67 for the second straight day and trailed Im by one shot. Justin Thomas was two back along with PGA Tour newcomer Alex Fitzpatrick, the brother of Matt Fitzpatrick.

Rickie Fowler vaulted into the mix with the day’s low round of 8-under 63, which included nine birdies.

Cameron Young, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, shot 70 and was five shots back.

Fleetwood said he scored well despite not having his best stuff.

“It’s just nice to even get a couple of days where you have something to show for your work, I guess,” said Fleetwood, who will play in the final pairing with Im on Saturday. “Just a nice reminder that it will come good at some point if you keep doing the right things. So that’s been great. I just hope it continues.”

For Im, the season hasn’t gone as well he’s hoped. He’s battled through a wrist injury and has only one top-40 finish.

Now healthy, that may be about to change.

The South Korean followed an opening round 7-under 64 with a 69 as he looks for his first tour win since 2021 in Las Vegas.

“I know this course very well, so I’m taking advantage of that,” Im said. “And then the scrambling, because of the play with the Presidents Cup, I know where to miss the greens, I’m very familiar with this golf course. But I didn’t putt very well today, but I’m happy with where I’m at.”

Thomas won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in 2017 and said this is the best he’s felt physically since having surgery to treat a herniated disk in his lower back in November.

He would have posted back-to-back 67s had he not missed a birdie putt on his final hole Friday.

“I felt like I’m close,” Thomas said. “I’ve really been pleased the last couple weeks.”

Chandler Blanchet had the shot of the day, a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole. It was the fourth ace on No. 17 in tournament history and the first since Mark Hubbard in 2023.

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Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the 16th tee during second round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Justin Thomas hits from the second fairway during second round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Tommy Fleetwood, of England, chips onto the 15th green during second round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Sungjae Im, of South Korea, acknowledges the gallery on the 15th green during second round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the 16th tee during second round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — It wasn’t satisfying enough for Buffalo Sabres goalie Alex Lyon to have Viktor Arvidsson’s penalty shot glance off his blocker and deflect wide of the net.

Lyon decided to pile on the forward's grief. He began chirping a few words at Arvidsson following the failed attempt that prevented the Boston Bruins from building on a 1-0 lead in Buffalo's eventual 3-1 win in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

The moment and Lyon’s response, coming in his first career playoff start for Buffalo, captured the fearless and competitive approach the 33-year-old goalie has developed over a journeyman career.

“I think when you’re young, it’s easy to get intimidated by the moment,” Lyon said.

“But once you start thinking about it in terms of the game, it’s about winning and losing at the end of the day. And that’s the only thing I’m trying to do,” he added. “It’s just gamesmanship.”

It’s an attitude that’s earned Lyon the starting duties in taking over after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggled in a 4-2 loss in Game 2 loss to Boston. Lyon's gone 4-1 since, including a 26-save outing in a 4-2 win in Buffalo’s second-round series' opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.

Entering Game 2 on Friday night, Lyon’s 1.3 goals-against average and .950 save percentage rank second among players with five or more starts this postseason. And it follows Lyon's first Sabres season in which he went 20-10-4 splitting the starting duties and helping Buffalo end an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought and win its first Atlantic Division title.

Very little appears to rattle Lyon. Or rather, the goalie said, he does his best to hide it.

“It’s all about perception,” Lyon said. “It probably dawned on me five or six years ago, that if you just continue to keep pushing through the bad times, it will always turn around for the better.”

The philosophy has carried him through a nine-year pro career spanning five NHL teams.

Lyon is relentless in refusing to give up on plays even when out of position, and included him doing a near-somersault to get from one post to the other and get a piece of Morgan Geekie’s shot in the first round. Add in his engaging and upbeat personality, and Lyon has endeared himself to his team.

“I really love guys like that, hates to lose and wants their opponents to look bad. I really feed off that,” captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “He loves big moments. That’s when he thrives.”

Coach Lindy Ruff called Lyon’s approach “infectious.”

“Every goalie has their own personality, and his personality has a lot of fire in it. He’s a character and it’s something the group likes,” Ruff said. “I don’t even know if I’ve seen him have a bad day.”

Lyon admits to having plenty of bad days. But they come with territory, much like accepting he’s not going to stop every shot.

From Baudette, Minnesota, Lyon was an undrafted free-agent out of Yale upon signing with the Philadelphia Flyers. He went 6-7-2 in five years in Philadelphia, and split the next four seasons between Carolina, Florida and Detroit, where he went 35-27-6 over two seasons.

He went 1-2 in four playoff appearances with Florida’s Stanley Cup Final-losing team in 2023, though Lyon was only filling in for injured starter Sergei Bobrovsky.

San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky saw many of the same qualities when coaching Lyon with the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves in 2021-22. The 29-year-old went 9-3 in leading the Wolves to win the Calder Cup championship.

“Did not want to give up the net,” Warsofsky told The Associated Press by phone Friday.

“It’s not, obviously, an easy league to play in, but every day he was the same guy,” he added. “It just shows you that everyone develops a little bit differently on different timelines, and sometimes you need an opportunity and he’s gotten a really good opportunity.”

Lyon fondly reflects upon his past by saying playing for numerous teams at various levels helped him learn more about himself. And breaking into the NHL as an older player after years in the minors were lessons in maintaining confidence, adapting to riding the highs and lows, and learning to put team success first.

“It’s really difficult as a young player to not get caught up in the day to day and thinking about production,” Lyon said. “The less you think about that, the less you worry about that, the better things are.”

AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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Buffalo Sabres' Alex Lyon makes a save during the third period in Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Boston Bruins, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) and center Ryan McLeod (71) celebrate victory following the third period in Game 1 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon makes a save during the third period in Game 1 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)