A two-under-par 69 was, somewhat surprisingly, good enough to put the US Open champion out in front on eight under alongside England's Simon Dyson and Gary Boyd and Welshman Jamie Donaldson. It came after overnight leader Nick Dougherty, who had miss ed his previous 21 cuts, added a 72 to his opening 63.
That dropped the 29-year-old Liverpudlian to joint fifth, but only a stroke behind as he tries to re-ignite his career and save himself from a return to the qualifying school at the end of the season. Struggling on bumpy greens, McIlroy said: "I gave myself a lot of chances and wasn't able to convert them, which was pretty frustrating. The greens were not as good as we got them yesterday morning and I got a bit tentative."
The Northern Irishman, 22, back in action three weeks after injuring his arm against a tree root at the USPGA Championship, made an eagle two on the driveable seventh, but gave the strokes back with a seven at the long ninth, driving into trouble and then three-putting from only four feet. His only deviation from par on the back nine was a birdie at the 516-yard 15th, and even there he missed a 14-foot eagle opportunity.
Dyson, trying to follow up his Irish Open success a month ago, shot 68. Boyd (69) and Donaldson (66) are chasing their first European Tour titles, but while 24-year-old Boyd is in just his second full season on the circuit, Donaldson, 35, has played approaching 250 events going back a decade. Dougherty admitted: "I had two things in my head - the tournament and getting the monkey of not making a cut off my back."
Former world No 1s Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood are only one and two shots back respectively.
Westwood had a 69, and Kaymer got round in 70, while current Open champion Darren Clarke fell back to four under with a 71.
