Rory McIlroy made a stunning comeback at the BMW PGA Championship, shooting a five-under-par second round and placing himself four shots behind leader Ryan Gerard at Wentworth. After a disappointing start with three dropped shots over his last six holes on Thursday, McIlroy showcased resilience on Friday with three birdies in his first five holes.

The Northern Irishman began strong but faced a setback with a bogey on the par-four eighth, turning in 33. However, he regained momentum with a 16-foot birdie putt on the 11th, followed by another at the par-three 14th. Despite a bogey on the 16th after finding the rough, he secured a tap-in birdie on the 17th and capped his round with a final birdie on the 18th, finishing with a score of 67.

McIlroy is striving to catch Patrick Reed, who faced a setback by retiring due to injury at nine over. McIlroy remarked, "This weekend is a big weekend for me to pick up a few points and make the race even tighter."

Ryan Gerard, who started Friday at five under, delivered a flawless round of 65, including a 20-foot eagle putt on the 17th, to take the outright lead. Adam Scott finished at 10 under after a 67, while Filippo Celli, in his Wentworth debut, recorded a 66 with seven birdies.

Aaron Rai, playing alongside McIlroy, shot a 69 to sit at nine under, while JJ Spaun holed an eagle on the 18th, finishing tied with McIlroy and Ryan Fox at eight under. Matt Wallace is at seven under, and Jordan Smith joined the six-under group with two eagles in a 67.