Defending champion Rory McIlroy crashed out of the BMW PGA Championship on Friday, reverting to his “usual” performance at Wentworth by missing the cut for the third time in four years.

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McIlroy was seeking his third win in four weeks, having followed his victory in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play with a third consecutive top-10 finish in the Players Championship and a seven-shot triumph at Quail Hollow on Sunday.

However, the world No 1 slumped to a second round of 78 in the European Tour’s flagship event to finish five over par, 15 shots behind halfway leader Francesco Molinari.

The 26-year-old admitted his patience was wearing thin after throwing a club in frustration during an opening 71, a situation which never looked likely to improve on Friday.

Bogeys on the third and sixth were followed by a birdie on the eighth, before the wheels truly came off on the back nine with a bogey on the 10th and a double-bogey on the next, where a wild hook off the tee resulted in an unplayable lie and another hook into the crowd with his second attempt.

Further dropped shots on the 13th and 16th were followed by a birdie on the 17th, but a three-putt bogey on the last summed up McIlroy’s day and the only good news was a welcome weekend off before his duties as tournament host in next week’s Irish Open.

“I’m not going to read too much into it,” McIlroy said after his worst score since also shooting 78 in the second round of the Scottish Open last July. 

“It was inevitable at some point that the run was going to come to a bit of an end.

“I’m sort of back to my usual at Wentworth. It wasn’t great before I won last year and it hasn’t been great after. I’m not angry. A little disappointed I’m not going to be here for the weekend.”

Molinari, who has recorded three straight top-10 finishes at Wentworth and was joint second in Sunday’s Spanish Open, added a 69 to his opening 65 to finish 10 under par, one shot ahead of Korea’s An Byeong-hun, who completed a 64 shortly before 8pm.

“Obviously I’m delighted to have gone a little bit further under par and just need to keep doing the same,” said Molinari, who recovered from two bogeys in his first three holes.

Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee were two off the lead on eight under, with Spanish Open winner James Morrison another shot back.