McIlroy and Maguire show driving ambition

Leona Maguire would pay top dollar for Rory McIlroy's driving firepower as she battles to keep her major dream alive in the Amundi Evian Championship.

The doughty Cavan woman hit just seven fairways at Evian Resort but still ground out a level par 71 to share seventh place on six-under at halfway, just four strokes behind Korea's Somi Lee.

McIlroy hit even fewer fairways in the second round of the Genesis Scottish Open but insisted he will continue to play aggressively from the tee after a five-under 65 left him just four shots behind leader Chris Gotterup.

"The rough isn't too bad," McIlroy said after finding just six fairways at the Renaissance Club in a round where he was six-under after eight holes in calm morning conditions.

"Honestly, being aggressive off the tee on links golf courses and taking the bunkers out of play if the rough isn't too bad has always been a pretty good strategy for me, so sticking with that for the week. Sometimes it gets you in trouble, but most of the time it works out pretty well."

NBC's Brandel Chamblee doubts that tactic will work for McIlroy in The Open at Royal Portrush, where finding fairways will be at a premium.

"When you look at Rory McIlroy and his potential to play well there, there are 174 players that are ranked in terms of finding the rough, how often you find the rough after a tee shot, Rory is 172nd out of 174," Chamblee said in a pre-Open teleconference.

"He may drive the ball beautifully by today's standards with strokes gained data, but by Portrush data, he's got to find a way to find more fairways than he's finding…"

McIlroy went out in 30 but admitted after coming home in level par that he struggled again in the left-to-right wind.

Gotterup shot a course record equalling 61 to lead by two shots from England's Harry Hall on 11-under as Scottie Scheffler shot 68 to lie six shots off the pace and Padraig Harrington squeaked in on the cut mark after a 70.

McIlroy is tied for sixth on seven under, but Maguire is tied seventh in France after a gritty 71, four shots behind Lee, who shot 65 to head Grace Kim by a shot on 10 under.

"I didn't drive it as well as I would have liked, and I wasn't able to give myself as many chances as I would like," she said after a poor drive cost her a bogey six at the 18th. "But had a few key up-and-downs to keep me in it."

After almost acing the second for the second day running, Maguire bogeyed the eighth before getting back into the red with a birdie at the 15th.

She three-putted the 16th but birdied the 17th from 12 feet before driving behind a tree at the par-five last and taking three more shots to find the green.

"I didn't quite take advantage of the par fives as well as I would have liked today, but still hit some really nice shots," she said. "Holed a few nice puts when I needed to, and there's still lots to play for."

Play at LIV Golf Andalucia was suspended due to unplayable winds at Valderrama as news emerged that the breakaway tour has applied again to be included in the Official World Golf Ranking.

"We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system," LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said in a statement.

"We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season."

Max Kennedy tried for his LIV Golf card again last year, but he's now chasing his maiden win on the HotelPlanner Tour in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge.

After making a hole-in-one in an opening 66, the Royal Dublin man carded a bogey-free, seven-under 63 to go into the weekend tied for fifth on 11 under, just three shots behind Spain's Albert Boneta.

There was only heartbreak for his former teammates in the European Men's Amateur Team Championships in Killarney, however, as Ireland fell 4-3 in the semi-finals to Denmark, who now face Italy for gold.

Ireland won the two morning foursomes to head into the five singles needing just two points for victory, but only Cork teenager John Doyle could get a win.

It all came down to Roscommon's Thomas Higgins, but he lost on the 20th to a devastating finish by Kristian Hjort Bressum, who was six under for the last eight holes played.

He made a seven-footer for birdie at the 18th to square the match, halved the 19th in par despite driving onto the beach before making a five-footer for a winning birdie at the 20th.

Leading qualifiers England lost 5.5-1.5 to Italy in the other semi-finals and now play Ireland for bronze.

In the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, Conor Purcell birdied the last to card a two over 72 and make the cut with a shot to spare on level par.

Seamus Power shot 73 to miss out on seven over as Chan Kim added a 68 to his opening 61 to lead by five shots on 11 under.

On the Alps Tour, Hugh Foley’s five under 67 left him joint seventh in the Alps de las Castillas in Albecete on 13 under, three shots behind winner Antonio Hortal.

Ronan Mullarney was joint 11th on 12 under after a 70 while Michael Young tied for 27th on seven under after a 72.

Mullarney is seventh in the Order of Merit race for five HotelPlanner Tour cards with Robert Moran (MC) 20th, Foley 21st, Young 61st, John Murphy 87th and Marc Boucher 112th.

Sara Byrne, meanwhile, shot 74 and missed the cut by a shot in the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship presented by Munich Rein Connecticut.