On Thursday, Rory McIlroy endured a difficult start to the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. McIlroy — who is currently playing in the DP World Tour — initially shot a 68. However, his final score ended up being a 70 for the round after he was awarded a two-stroke penalty for attempting to improve his lie on hole 12. McIlroy acknowledged his mistake but also explained that it was an accident. The 37-year-old did not let the controversial moment impact his performance on Friday, as he shot a 63 and finished the round with 11 birdies.
According to Golf Channel, McIlroy accomplished an impressive feat as well. His 11 birdies represent his career-high mark on the DP World Tour.
Rory McIlroy bounced back from a Thursday penalty with a DP World Tour career-best 11 birdies on Friday 👏
Excellent round of 63 powers him to T-4 position entering the weekend in Abu Dhabi 📈 pic.twitter.com/MZ6hy44tpq
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 6, 2026
McIlroy is now tied for fourth overall in the tournament at -11 after surging up the leaderboard. He is certainly in a quality position heading into the weekend without question.
It has been a memorable year for Rory McIlroy so far. Of course, McIlroy earned his second consecutive Masters championship in April. He is currently second overall in the world golf rankings, trailing only Scottie Scheffler.
Article Continues BelowMcIlroy would love to add another win this year on the DP World Tour. He still has work to do over the weekend, but it seems as if McIlroy found his rhythm on Friday. If he can keep things going, it would not be surprising to see him end up winning the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. He's difficult to beat when he's on top of his game.
For now, Francesco Laporta, Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm lead the way at -12.