Deadspin | Birdie barrage gives Rory McIlroy largest 36-hole lead in Masters history 
Apr 10, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy reacts after a putt on the 18th green during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy’s quest to become the fourth player to win consecutive Masters might turn into a 36-hole march toward history thanks to a late birdie barrage on Friday that gave him a record six-shot lead heading into the weekend at Augusta National.
McIlroy carded six birdies over his final seven holes — including a chip-in from 29 yards on No. 17 — to shoot a 7-under-par 65 and sit at 12 under halfway through the 90th Masters. It’s one shot better than the score McIlroy posted in 72 holes last April before winning his first green jacket in a playoff.
“I knew I had some chances coming in when I was standing on the 12th tee, but I didn’t think I’d birdie six of the last seven,” McIlroy said. “It just shows what you can do around here.”
The Northern Irishman will be paired in Saturday’s final group with Sam Burns, who shared the 18-hole lead with McIlroy at 5 under. Burns also took advantage of a back nine at Augusta National that gave way to unexpectedly low scores Friday. He closed with three birdies over his final four holes to get under par for the day with a 71 and become the first to reach the clubhouse at 6 under.
Burns moved into the final pairing when Patrick Reed’s 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole slid left of the cup. That left the 2018 Masters champion with matching 69s to sit at 6 under for the tournament. Reed briefly tied the lead with a birdie on No. 12 to reach 6 under for the first time, which occurred while McIlroy was bogeying No. 10.
Reed climbed to 7 under before suffering his lone bogey of the day at 18.
“The worst part and the thing that frustrated me most is I hit every golf shot how I wanted to,” Reed said. “On 18 you’re having to get up and down, and then hit the putt where I wanted to and just doesn’t go in. Things like that happen around here. In golf in general.”
Playing three groups behind Reed, McIlroy was catching fire. He started with a birdie on the 12th hole that surrendered 19 on the day, then drove it into the pine straw on 13 yet managed a birdie anyway. McIlroy repeated the scrambling act on the par-5 15th hole and knocked it to three feet for birdie on the par-3 16th before his Houdini act on 17. The Northern Irishman then hit his approach to six feet on 18 to set the stage for the closing birdie.
McIlroy holds the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history — and the third largest in any major — despite hitting only five fairways on Friday and 13 of 28 through two rounds. He has managed to hit 13 greens both days while relying heavily on his short game.
“But my wedge play today was really good. My short game the first two days has been amazing,” McIlroy said. “I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point. My mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.”
If he’s able to close out the victory, he would join Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-1990) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) as the only players to win consecutive Masters. Only 18 players have won multiple Masters titles at any point in their careers.
“I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard to avoid those big leaderboards out there, but like I know that I’ve got a lead. So, I don’t need to keep checking it all the time. For me, just really focusing on myself and staying in my own little world out there is the best thing.”
Reed will be paired on Saturday with England’s Justin Rose, who was the first of three players to reach the clubhouse at 5 under on Friday.
For a while, it appeared Rose might be set up for a Saturday pairing with McIlroy 12 months after their dramatic playoff showdown. Rose reached 5 under with a birdie on the 11th hole before immediately giving it back on the 12th. He battled back with a birdie on the 15th and parred out from there.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Ireland’s Shane Lowry are also at 5 under and will be paired on Saturday. Another shot back is Tyrrell Hatton, who set the tone for the lower-than-expected scoring in the second round by posting a 6-under 66. He is at 4 under along with Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young, Australia’s Jason Day, China’s Haotong Li and Kristoffer Reitan, only the second Norwegian to compete in the Masters.
“This is my best start thus far at Augusta and I’m just really excited to be in this position,” said Clark, whose only other sub-par score in seven previous rounds at the Masters was also a 68 in last year’s second round. “This morning kind of throughout the whole day wasn’t as firm as yesterday. I know we went off in the morning, typically it’s softer.
“I think as the tournament goes on, I mean, these greens are going to be concrete. Obviously getting really fast without the wind, so it’s going to really matter hitting it in the fairway and the angles and being patient.”
The extremely difficult conditions predicted by many players after scores rose throughout Thursday’s first round never materialized on Friday. The scoring average dropped nearly two shots, from 74.65 to 72.85. After only five players broke 70 in the first round, there were 20 scores in the 60s on Friday.
“There wasn’t a ton of wind. It felt somewhat gettable,” Rose said. “I thought the pins were just a little easier than yesterday.”
Scottie Scheffler, who was unable to capitalize on the conditions, said he expects Augusta National’s teeth to return for the weekend. The two-time Masters champion and World No. 1 struggled to a 74 that left him at even par for the tournament and 12 shots off McIlroy’s lead.
“I felt like the greens would get firmer as the week went on, but I think they may have saw how difficult it was late in the day yesterday,” Scheffler said. “It felt like they softened them up a bit today, but I couldn’t imagine them doing that the rest of the weekend.”
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Birdie #barrage #Rory #McIlroy #largest #36hole #lead #Masters #history
Apr 10, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy reacts after a putt on the 18th green during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy’s quest to become the fourth player to win consecutive Masters might turn into a 36-hole march toward history thanks to a late birdie barrage on Friday that gave him a record six-shot lead heading into the weekend at Augusta National.
McIlroy carded six birdies over his final seven holes — including a chip-in from 29 yards on No. 17 — to shoot a 7-under-par 65 and sit at 12 under halfway through the 90th Masters. It’s one shot better than the score McIlroy posted in 72 holes last April before winning his first green jacket in a playoff.
“I knew I had some chances coming in when I was standing on the 12th tee, but I didn’t think I’d birdie six of the last seven,” McIlroy said. “It just shows what you can do around here.”
The Northern Irishman will be paired in Saturday’s final group with Sam Burns, who shared the 18-hole lead with McIlroy at 5 under. Burns also took advantage of a back nine at Augusta National that gave way to unexpectedly low scores Friday. He closed with three birdies over his final four holes to get under par for the day with a 71 and become the first to reach the clubhouse at 6 under.
Burns moved into the final pairing when Patrick Reed’s 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole slid left of the cup. That left the 2018 Masters champion with matching 69s to sit at 6 under for the tournament. Reed briefly tied the lead with a birdie on No. 12 to reach 6 under for the first time, which occurred while McIlroy was bogeying No. 10.
Reed climbed to 7 under before suffering his lone bogey of the day at 18.
“The worst part and the thing that frustrated me most is I hit every golf shot how I wanted to,” Reed said. “On 18 you’re having to get up and down, and then hit the putt where I wanted to and just doesn’t go in. Things like that happen around here. In golf in general.”
Playing three groups behind Reed, McIlroy was catching fire. He started with a birdie on the 12th hole that surrendered 19 on the day, then drove it into the pine straw on 13 yet managed a birdie anyway. McIlroy repeated the scrambling act on the par-5 15th hole and knocked it to three feet for birdie on the par-3 16th before his Houdini act on 17. The Northern Irishman then hit his approach to six feet on 18 to set the stage for the closing birdie.
McIlroy holds the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history — and the third largest in any major — despite hitting only five fairways on Friday and 13 of 28 through two rounds. He has managed to hit 13 greens both days while relying heavily on his short game.
“But my wedge play today was really good. My short game the first two days has been amazing,” McIlroy said. “I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point. My mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.”
If he’s able to close out the victory, he would join Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-1990) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) as the only players to win consecutive Masters. Only 18 players have won multiple Masters titles at any point in their careers.
“I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard to avoid those big leaderboards out there, but like I know that I’ve got a lead. So, I don’t need to keep checking it all the time. For me, just really focusing on myself and staying in my own little world out there is the best thing.”
Reed will be paired on Saturday with England’s Justin Rose, who was the first of three players to reach the clubhouse at 5 under on Friday.
For a while, it appeared Rose might be set up for a Saturday pairing with McIlroy 12 months after their dramatic playoff showdown. Rose reached 5 under with a birdie on the 11th hole before immediately giving it back on the 12th. He battled back with a birdie on the 15th and parred out from there.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Ireland’s Shane Lowry are also at 5 under and will be paired on Saturday. Another shot back is Tyrrell Hatton, who set the tone for the lower-than-expected scoring in the second round by posting a 6-under 66. He is at 4 under along with Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young, Australia’s Jason Day, China’s Haotong Li and Kristoffer Reitan, only the second Norwegian to compete in the Masters.
“This is my best start thus far at Augusta and I’m just really excited to be in this position,” said Clark, whose only other sub-par score in seven previous rounds at the Masters was also a 68 in last year’s second round. “This morning kind of throughout the whole day wasn’t as firm as yesterday. I know we went off in the morning, typically it’s softer.
“I think as the tournament goes on, I mean, these greens are going to be concrete. Obviously getting really fast without the wind, so it’s going to really matter hitting it in the fairway and the angles and being patient.”
The extremely difficult conditions predicted by many players after scores rose throughout Thursday’s first round never materialized on Friday. The scoring average dropped nearly two shots, from 74.65 to 72.85. After only five players broke 70 in the first round, there were 20 scores in the 60s on Friday.
“There wasn’t a ton of wind. It felt somewhat gettable,” Rose said. “I thought the pins were just a little easier than yesterday.”
Scottie Scheffler, who was unable to capitalize on the conditions, said he expects Augusta National’s teeth to return for the weekend. The two-time Masters champion and World No. 1 struggled to a 74 that left him at even par for the tournament and 12 shots off McIlroy’s lead.
“I felt like the greens would get firmer as the week went on, but I think they may have saw how difficult it was late in the day yesterday,” Scheffler said. “It felt like they softened them up a bit today, but I couldn’t imagine them doing that the rest of the weekend.”
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
![Pato O’Ward on the 2026 IndyCar season and finding where you belong One of the perks of a job like mine is the opportunity to spend time with race car drivers. They are a joy to talk with, and each conversation leaves me walking away with some new knowledge that will help shape my coverage of motorsport going forward.Every chance to chat with Pato O’Ward, however, takes that experience to a new level.The IndyCar driver has become a face of the sport with good reason. His infectious personality, incredible charisma, and ability on the track have seen O’Ward become a global sensation and one of the sport’s bigger figures. While the 2026 campaign has seen some difficult moments on the track for O’Ward, he enters this weekend’s OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland sitting fifth in the championship standings, and coming off a recent return to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio.We caught up on Thursday night for a quick chat ahead of this weekend’s race in Portland, and while we did talk about racing, we talked about so much more.And I walked away with a life lesson that certainly hit home.Pato O’Ward 2026 IndyCar seasonThat was the word O’Ward used to describe his 2026 season to date when we spoke on Thursday night.“Unexpected and surprising in a lot of ways, I would say,” elaborated the Arrow McLaren driver. “Obviously, every season is different, right? But what’s been so weird to me is that actually, all the tracks that always have been like my championship savers, I’d say like 85% of them have been completely the opposite of what is expected.“Like the ovals this year has been the worst year I have ever had.”Bommarito is one such example. After finishing on the podium at the race a year ago, O’Ward qualified ninth for this year’s installment, and finished down in P11.“[The year] feels like it’s been glitching, in a way.”Still, there have been some high points for hte driver who, as noted above, sits fifth in the championship standings. O’Ward returned to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio, and the driver pointed to that as the high point of the season.“It’s got to be the Mid-Ohio win,” said O’Ward when I asked him about the season’s high point. “Just being able to get things back on track where we’ve been strong, but also being able to execute in all cylinders, right?“The pit stops, the strategy, the car was great, so, it was a nice weekend to put under our belt with like a full-on execution and that’s definitely been the high point this year.”When asked about the toughest parts of the season so far, O’Ward pointed to a few different road courses.“I feel like there’s there’s a few races that I would love to have back and I would say road courses because I know we won in Mid-Ohio, but then Road America, we got destroyed by the yellow and we were legitimately in contention to win that race. And then the [Indianapolis road course] we got taken out and we would have also been in contention to win.“And then Barber, we were just nowhere and, just knowing what we do now, what was going on, it would have been nice to catch the issue first or earlier.”Pato O’Ward answers reader questionsEvery time I am lucky enough to chat with a driver, I ask readers to submit some questions. Some of the best interactions with a driver have come as a result.Thursday night’s chat with O’Ward was no exception, as we got to talk about food, and life itself.The first question focused on the brand-new McLaren Racing Center, a new state-of-the-art facility opened by Arrow McLaren in Indianapolis ahead of the 2026 season. One dear reader wanted to know how the facility made a difference in O’Ward’s preparation this season.He compared it to moving from a starter home, into the top-floor penthouse.“The vibe of it is completely different,” began O’Ward.“I mean, where we were, we were at a level one starter apartment, and we took the elevator to the penthouse. It’s a huge difference in just what it feels like to be there. I’m assuming it’s completely different for all the guys and gals as well, working there. There’s more space, and man, you get there, and you’re like ‘[T]his is so cool that I’m a part of this, right?’“And I think ultimately that just fuels you to be hungrier for success, and for wanting to make things come out the right way and just giving a little bit of the extra, the extra push that will go a long way.”Another reader wanted to know O’Ward’s favorite IndyCar race, with the caveat that he could not pick the Indianapolis 500.For not the first time during our conversation, and not for the last, O’Ward’s eyes lit up.“Dude, Arlington was Badass. Arlington was awesome,” said the driver about the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, a new street race in Arlington, Texas.“Oh my God, like Arlington … I’m so excited to go back there because the people that were there were so excited for this new event. Obviously, the turnout looked phenomenal on TV. It looked great, even for us in the car. It, it was awesome. So, Arlington definitely takes that one for me.”O’Ward’s eyes lit up at the next reader question, which focused on the race experience away from the track. What stop on the schedule has the best local food, or restaurant, that he looks forward to each year?The driver’s eyes lit up again.“All right, so Saint Pete. Saint Pete’s got good ones. Phoenix has got good ones as well.”O’Ward then returned to Arlington.“The Dallas scene is insane. Like, you find everything you want in Dallas.“And I might be a little bit biased because I love Texas, and I, you know, I spend a lot of time there.“Actually, in a perfect world, I’d probably be living in Dallas. That’s probably where I would pick to move, maybe I do in the near future, but I do love Dallas and I gotta go with that one, man.“It’s just, there’s too much at your disposal of whatever food you wanna, wanna look for, and it’s just a cool city.”The final question dealt with a bit of news O’Ward made this season, when he asked to be released from his Formula 1 duties as a reserve driver for McLaren’s F1 team, and focus on IndyCar. I asked O’Ward how that decision came about, and how it reframed his focus on IndyCar for 2026 and beyond.A lesson about life itself followed.“I think it’s probably been a bit of a mix of, you know, maybe maturing a little bit and learning that the one living your life is yourself, and you need to maximize it as much as you can, and you also need to do what’s good for your soul. And by that, I mean, you gotta do what you wanna do,” began O’Ward.“You gotta be where you are, where you are happy. Where you see a future where you are excited to come back to work every single year and keep going, right?“Like for me, IndyCar represents all of that. I love the direction that the series is going on, and I do think it’s only gonna get better.“I love being a part of it.”O’Ward then turned to life here in the United States.“You know, I’ve been challenged in America. I’ve been used to living in America, and I love that about my life, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I don’t wanna move anywhere else.“I’m close to home in Mexico, and I do think there’s so much potential and so much growth that can still happen, that want to be a part of that.He then concended that the decision was “tough,” as it meant closing the door on a dream.“So it was a tough decision because you’re basically, like, you’re going against your dream, right?“The dream that ultimately opened the doors to this situation, and to being here now, but it was a very easy decision for me to be like, you know, ‘[w]hat makes me happy and what do I wanna do?’“And, you know, I keep getting taken to the same decision every single time.”Pato O’Ward on the Grand Prix of PortlandO’Ward and the rest of the IndyCar grid is in Portland this weekend, for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland.It is a race where O’Ward has enjoyed success, at least during qualifying, as well as some success early in his career in the Indy Lights series. Last year he put his Arrow McLaren on the front row, qualifying second, and he started first when pole-sitter and teammate Christian Lundgaard took a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. O’Ward entered that race sitting second in the championship standings behind Alex Palou, needing something special to keep the pressure on the leader.But an electronics malfunction called O’Ward into the pits early in the race, and he finished down in P25. A third-place finish from Palou clinched another title for the Chip Ganassi driver.Can O’Ward finally taste race success in Portland this weekend?“I’ve yet to have this great IndyCar result here for me,” began O’Ward. “I’ve had good qualifying here.“I think last year is the one that’s most fresh on my mind. And we’ve had pace, but we haven’t had that, like, breakthrough Portland IndyCar weekend like I had the first time I was here in an Indy Lights car; That was a very cool weekend for me.“I ended up winning the championship, winning both races, and it’s also a track that I really, I truly enjoy driving.“It’s very old school.”So, I’d love to break through that and get ourselves, on the podium this weekend.“That’d be, that’d be fantastic.”O’Ward begins that pursuit later today with the first practice session ahead of the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. #Pato #OWard #IndyCar #season #finding #belong](https://i0.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/gettyimages-2284208207.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Pato O’Ward on the 2026 IndyCar season and finding where you belong One of the perks of a job like mine is the opportunity to spend time with race car drivers. They are a joy to talk with, and each conversation leaves me walking away with some new knowledge that will help shape my coverage of motorsport going forward.Every chance to chat with Pato O’Ward, however, takes that experience to a new level.The IndyCar driver has become a face of the sport with good reason. His infectious personality, incredible charisma, and ability on the track have seen O’Ward become a global sensation and one of the sport’s bigger figures. While the 2026 campaign has seen some difficult moments on the track for O’Ward, he enters this weekend’s OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland sitting fifth in the championship standings, and coming off a recent return to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio.We caught up on Thursday night for a quick chat ahead of this weekend’s race in Portland, and while we did talk about racing, we talked about so much more.And I walked away with a life lesson that certainly hit home.Pato O’Ward 2026 IndyCar seasonThat was the word O’Ward used to describe his 2026 season to date when we spoke on Thursday night.“Unexpected and surprising in a lot of ways, I would say,” elaborated the Arrow McLaren driver. “Obviously, every season is different, right? But what’s been so weird to me is that actually, all the tracks that always have been like my championship savers, I’d say like 85% of them have been completely the opposite of what is expected.“Like the ovals this year has been the worst year I have ever had.”Bommarito is one such example. After finishing on the podium at the race a year ago, O’Ward qualified ninth for this year’s installment, and finished down in P11.“[The year] feels like it’s been glitching, in a way.”Still, there have been some high points for hte driver who, as noted above, sits fifth in the championship standings. O’Ward returned to the top step of the podium with a win at Mid-Ohio, and the driver pointed to that as the high point of the season.“It’s got to be the Mid-Ohio win,” said O’Ward when I asked him about the season’s high point. “Just being able to get things back on track where we’ve been strong, but also being able to execute in all cylinders, right?“The pit stops, the strategy, the car was great, so, it was a nice weekend to put under our belt with like a full-on execution and that’s definitely been the high point this year.”When asked about the toughest parts of the season so far, O’Ward pointed to a few different road courses.“I feel like there’s there’s a few races that I would love to have back and I would say road courses because I know we won in Mid-Ohio, but then Road America, we got destroyed by the yellow and we were legitimately in contention to win that race. And then the [Indianapolis road course] we got taken out and we would have also been in contention to win.“And then Barber, we were just nowhere and, just knowing what we do now, what was going on, it would have been nice to catch the issue first or earlier.”Pato O’Ward answers reader questionsEvery time I am lucky enough to chat with a driver, I ask readers to submit some questions. Some of the best interactions with a driver have come as a result.Thursday night’s chat with O’Ward was no exception, as we got to talk about food, and life itself.The first question focused on the brand-new McLaren Racing Center, a new state-of-the-art facility opened by Arrow McLaren in Indianapolis ahead of the 2026 season. One dear reader wanted to know how the facility made a difference in O’Ward’s preparation this season.He compared it to moving from a starter home, into the top-floor penthouse.“The vibe of it is completely different,” began O’Ward.“I mean, where we were, we were at a level one starter apartment, and we took the elevator to the penthouse. It’s a huge difference in just what it feels like to be there. I’m assuming it’s completely different for all the guys and gals as well, working there. There’s more space, and man, you get there, and you’re like ‘[T]his is so cool that I’m a part of this, right?’“And I think ultimately that just fuels you to be hungrier for success, and for wanting to make things come out the right way and just giving a little bit of the extra, the extra push that will go a long way.”Another reader wanted to know O’Ward’s favorite IndyCar race, with the caveat that he could not pick the Indianapolis 500.For not the first time during our conversation, and not for the last, O’Ward’s eyes lit up.“Dude, Arlington was Badass. Arlington was awesome,” said the driver about the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, a new street race in Arlington, Texas.“Oh my God, like Arlington … I’m so excited to go back there because the people that were there were so excited for this new event. Obviously, the turnout looked phenomenal on TV. It looked great, even for us in the car. It, it was awesome. So, Arlington definitely takes that one for me.”O’Ward’s eyes lit up at the next reader question, which focused on the race experience away from the track. What stop on the schedule has the best local food, or restaurant, that he looks forward to each year?The driver’s eyes lit up again.“All right, so Saint Pete. Saint Pete’s got good ones. Phoenix has got good ones as well.”O’Ward then returned to Arlington.“The Dallas scene is insane. Like, you find everything you want in Dallas.“And I might be a little bit biased because I love Texas, and I, you know, I spend a lot of time there.“Actually, in a perfect world, I’d probably be living in Dallas. That’s probably where I would pick to move, maybe I do in the near future, but I do love Dallas and I gotta go with that one, man.“It’s just, there’s too much at your disposal of whatever food you wanna, wanna look for, and it’s just a cool city.”The final question dealt with a bit of news O’Ward made this season, when he asked to be released from his Formula 1 duties as a reserve driver for McLaren’s F1 team, and focus on IndyCar. I asked O’Ward how that decision came about, and how it reframed his focus on IndyCar for 2026 and beyond.A lesson about life itself followed.“I think it’s probably been a bit of a mix of, you know, maybe maturing a little bit and learning that the one living your life is yourself, and you need to maximize it as much as you can, and you also need to do what’s good for your soul. And by that, I mean, you gotta do what you wanna do,” began O’Ward.“You gotta be where you are, where you are happy. Where you see a future where you are excited to come back to work every single year and keep going, right?“Like for me, IndyCar represents all of that. I love the direction that the series is going on, and I do think it’s only gonna get better.“I love being a part of it.”O’Ward then turned to life here in the United States.“You know, I’ve been challenged in America. I’ve been used to living in America, and I love that about my life, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I don’t wanna move anywhere else.“I’m close to home in Mexico, and I do think there’s so much potential and so much growth that can still happen, that want to be a part of that.He then concended that the decision was “tough,” as it meant closing the door on a dream.“So it was a tough decision because you’re basically, like, you’re going against your dream, right?“The dream that ultimately opened the doors to this situation, and to being here now, but it was a very easy decision for me to be like, you know, ‘[w]hat makes me happy and what do I wanna do?’“And, you know, I keep getting taken to the same decision every single time.”Pato O’Ward on the Grand Prix of PortlandO’Ward and the rest of the IndyCar grid is in Portland this weekend, for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland.It is a race where O’Ward has enjoyed success, at least during qualifying, as well as some success early in his career in the Indy Lights series. Last year he put his Arrow McLaren on the front row, qualifying second, and he started first when pole-sitter and teammate Christian Lundgaard took a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. O’Ward entered that race sitting second in the championship standings behind Alex Palou, needing something special to keep the pressure on the leader.But an electronics malfunction called O’Ward into the pits early in the race, and he finished down in P25. A third-place finish from Palou clinched another title for the Chip Ganassi driver.Can O’Ward finally taste race success in Portland this weekend?“I’ve yet to have this great IndyCar result here for me,” began O’Ward. “I’ve had good qualifying here.“I think last year is the one that’s most fresh on my mind. And we’ve had pace, but we haven’t had that, like, breakthrough Portland IndyCar weekend like I had the first time I was here in an Indy Lights car; That was a very cool weekend for me.“I ended up winning the championship, winning both races, and it’s also a track that I really, I truly enjoy driving.“It’s very old school.”So, I’d love to break through that and get ourselves, on the podium this weekend.“That’d be, that’d be fantastic.”O’Ward begins that pursuit later today with the first practice session ahead of the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. #Pato #OWard #IndyCar #season #finding #belong")
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