After a solid return to the course on Thursday, Rory McIlroy made a clear statement to the rest of the field at the WGC-Mexico Championship in the second round with a dazzling65to take sole possession of the lead at nine-under par.Playing in his first PGA Tour event since October, McIlroy is reminding the world that he belongs in the discussion of the best players in the world. He was also able to put some separation between himself and everyone else after Thursday's opening round ended with a six-way tie for the lead.There is still a large cluster behind McIlroy, headlined by Phil Mickelson, as part of athree-way tie for second place at seven-under par that also includes Ross Fisher and Justin Thomas.Here is the full leaderboard from Mexico City after Friday's action:After finishing second at the BMW SA Open on the European Tour in January, McIlroy took nearly two full months off while dealing with a stress fracture to his ribs.Even though McIlroy is just 27 years old, he's been around so long that it can be easy to take him for granted.Of course, anytime it seems like McIlroy is falling back to the pack, he does something like this to remind you how special he really is, via PGA Tour:It's unfair to compare any player, past or present, to peak Tiger Woods because he was operating on an entirely different level. McIlroy hasn't quite reached those heights, but he's the closest golf has come to finding an heir apparent.Justin Ray of the Golf Channel noted it's been a long time since McIlroy held the outright 36-hole lead in a PGA Tour event:It's fitting the 2014 PGA Championship would be brought up on this day. McIlroy won that tournament, with Mickelson finishing one shot behind him.Mickelson has time to play catch up this weekend, though this is already an encouraging step for the 46-year-old as he seeks his first top-10 finish in a PGA Tour event since October.Here is the long birdie putt Mickelson hit on No. 7 that dropped his score to seven-under par, via PGA Tour:Mickelson was fantastic on the greens in the second round, gaining 2.55 strokes with his putter. He will need to keep up that pace over the next two rounds to stay within shouting distance of McIlroy.Friday was also a terrific day for Dustin Johnson. After struggles with his putter forced him to settle for a 70 in the first round, the world's top-ranked player rebounded with a 66 to put himself in contention for a second consecutive PGA Tour title.Things did not go as well for Jordan Spieth. After starting the tournament with an even-par 71, the Texas native stumbled with a 72 on Friday to finish at one-over par heading into the weekend.The best thing to say for Spieth is his round could have been much worse. He had a double-bogey on his second hole, then fell apart with a triple-bogey and bogey his 10th and 11th holes.Spieth was saved by a three-hole run from No. 14 through 16 in which he shot birdie-eagle-birdie to finish two shots under par before making the turn. Here's his final chip in during that stretch, via PGA Tour:Sitting 10 shots behind McIlroy likely puts Spieth out of contention the rest of this weekend, barring some kind of miracle, but he does have 36 holes to try salvaging something from what was a bad Friday.McIlroy is the overwhelming story of the tournament right now, especially with the Masters five weeks away. The rest of the PGA Tour doesn't want to see him playing with maximum confidence when it's time to go to Augusta. Post-Round ReactionMcIlroy's message after the round was one of happiness with some frustration for leaving some shots on the course.Overall, great, McIlroy told Steve Sands of the Golf Channel (h/t Kyle Porter of CBS Sports). Going out starting the day, I would have taken 65, but I had a great chance on No. 16 for birdie, three-putt No. 17 and then miss from short range on No. 18.As for how McIlroy was able to post a 65 on Friday, he didn't sound like there was anything magical in his game."I just felt like I had a bit more energy. I had a bit more pep in my step," McIlroy said, via the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "I wasn't just trying to get through the round today -- I was trying to build on the score that I had, and it was nice to feel like that again."Despite posting a better score on Friday, Johnson did acknowledge putting is still a problem for him."I feel like I'm hitting good putts -- they're just very difficult," Johnson said, via the AP. "I feel like someone's playing goalie up by the hole. It's not going my way right now, but hopefully I can roll in a few more putts this weekend. I feel like I'm hitting it great."Stats per PGATour.com
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