Rory McIlroy ponders on the negative of staying at his home for the Irish Open

Rory McIlroy said that he played best when he was having fun and staying relaxed. He added that he was happy to spend a few days at his home.

On Friday, September 13, Rory McIlroy carded 1-under 70 to aggregate at 4-under. He started the round with an eagle but then holed two bogeys before sinking a birdie on the 15th. He remained unmoved at T4 after 36 holes and is two shots behind the lead.

During the post-round interview, McIlroy reflected on staying at home and having a relaxed frame of mind.

"I always play my best when I'm having fun and staying relaxed," he said, as per ASAP Sports. "It's easy with Tom, Harry on the bag, the three of us go back a long way."

"It's easy to stay relaxed and have fun. It will probably be a little more difficult over the weekend to stay in that frame of mind but I know that's the frame of mind I do need to stay in," he added.

In the follow-up question, the Northern Irishman was asked if he regretted staying at home.

"No, I'm happy to get a few nights in that bed," he replied.

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When will Rory McIlroy tee off at the Irish Open, Round 3?

Rory McIlroy is grouped with Todd Clements for the third round of the Irish Open. The duo will tee off on Saturday, September 14, at 1:05 p.m. local time.

Following the second round, Matteo Manassero took the solo lead. He carded a 5-under 66 on Day 2 to reach 6-under after 36 holes. Laurie Canter jumped seven spots after shooting a 68, while Clements slipped to second after shooting an even-par 71.

Shubhankar Sharma was one of the biggest movers on Friday after he shot 6-under 65 to jump 107 spots to T13.

Here's the leaderboard for the Irish Open after Round 2:

• 1. Matteo Manassero -6
• T2. Laurie Canter -5
• T2. Todd Clements -5
• T4. Ewen Ferguson -4
• T4. Rory McIlroy -4
• T4. Alejandro Del Rey -4
• T7. Calum Hill -3
• T7. Connor Syme -3
• T7. Rasmus Højgaard -3
• T7. Jens Dantorp -3
• T7. Daniel Brown -3
• T7. Erik van Rooyen -3
• T13. Shubhankar Sharma -2
• T13. Niklas Norgaard -2
• T13. Aaron Cockerill -2
• T13. Frederic LaCroix -2
• T13. Jaco Prinsloo -2
• T13. Filippo Celli -2
• T19. Shane Lowry -1
• T19. Robert MacIntyre -1
• T19. Jannik De Bruyn -1
• T19. Thomas Aiken -1
• T19. James Morrison -1
• T19. Adrien Saddier -1
• T19. Grant Forrest -1
• T19. Jimmy Walker -1
• T19. Richard Mansell -1
• T19. Freddy Schott -1
• T19. Marco Penge -1
• T19. Jordan Smith -1
• T19. Marcus Armitage -1
• T19. Sami Välimäki -1