RORY MCILROY | THE OPEN

A frustrating afternoon reached tipping point for Rory McIlroy on the par-5 16th hole as he flung, and subsequently broke, his 3-wood after an errant second shot.

The four-time major winner said after his second round that he was 'optimistic' of making a surge on Saturday - but hopes of that faded within the first five holes as he made three bogeys before reaching the turn in one-over-par.

He also played the much tougher back nine in one-over-par, with the 27-year-old's frustration boiling over on No.16.

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"I let one go right on the previous hole, the 3-iron, and I did the exact same thing there," he explained. "So it was basically just a bad swing. No one likes to make the same mistake twice, and that's basically what happened.

"I've been saying all week that you need to get off to a good start on this golf course, and you need to be under par early, and I wasn't able to do that."

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