Rory McIlroy set his sights on a “great finish” at The Players after finishing his second round with a stunning final hole birdie to get within the scheduled cut at TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy immediately advanced with an opening birdie on the 10th hole Friday morning, but admitted he was “super rusty” during his opening round 74 as he started the week without a practice round due to a back injury.
The two-time Players champion had one birdie and one bogey over his first nine games, before dropping another shot on the fourth hole to fall outside the expected cut with five holes remaining.
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McIlroy was booed by the crowd at TPC Sawgrass when his ball hit the water on its way to bogey.
McIlroy maintained 2 over par until the final hole of the day, the par-5 9th hole. There he reached the green by two strokes and two-putted for birdie to shoot a 1-under 71 and put him back in position to avoid an early exit.
Playing partner Xander Schauffele set a clubhouse target of 10 under after shooting a 7-under 65, while McIlroy was 11 strokes behind but ranked in the top 65 and tied with two more rounds to play in the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
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McIlroy boosted his hopes of making the cut at The Players after finishing the day under par after a birdie on the final hole.
“I feel a little better,” McIlroy said. sky sports. “I would say yesterday I was just trying to believe I was okay. I was struggling with the lie under my feet and stuff like that, but today I felt pretty good and felt like I hit the ball well.”
“I couldn’t drop the putt. That was the problem. I did my best, kept grinding, made birdie at the end and hoped to make the cut. Overall, I had a few more rounds here, which is never a bad thing.”
How McIlroy battled into the weekend at Sawgrass
McIlroy got off to a dream start to his second round after making a 6-foot birdie on the 10th hole, but failed to capitalize on the next par-5 and missed a 9-foot birdie opportunity after lying in a fairway bunker.
He two-putted on the 12th hole, made an impressive up-and-down putt to save par on the next hole, and underhit his chip on the 14th green for his first bogey of the day.
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McIlroy birdied the first hole of the day at TPC Sawgrass to get a quick start to his second round at The Players.
A two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th hole put McIlroy under par for the day, and the Northern Irishman shuffled back to sink a 12-foot par putt on the 18th after missing the green with a wedge.
McIlroy failed to capitalize on the par-5 second hole, squandered a 12-foot birdie opportunity on the third, then holed from a similar distance and recovered a bogey on the next hole to slip outside the expected cut mark.
McIlroy is aiming to become the first player since Jack Nicklaus to win the Players title three times.
The 36-year-old was still in danger of an early exit heading into the par-5 ninth, where he hit a stunning 284-yard 3-wood to finish 30 feet from the flag and nailed a two-putt birdie.
McIlroy added: “I feel good about the game. I went five or six days without touching a club or doing anything, so I got the feeling back.” “We have to wait a few more days to get on the leaderboard.
“I’m back in 11th place. I’m not sure if I’ll be competing for the title, but I’ll have to wait a few more days to get a great finish.”
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McIlroy said he no longer felt any back problems after the second round.
Has McIlroy’s Pre-Masters schedule changed due to making the cut?
McIlroy plans to undergo further treatment ahead of the weekend and confirmed that getting through it will impact his tournament schedule ahead of his defense at the Masters next month.
“I’ve made about 280 starts on the PGA Tour and missed the cut less than 30 times, so I’m proud of that,” McIlroy told reporters. “But in golf, as we all know, you have to blow it and move on.
“If I had missed the cut, I would have added an event to compete in the Masters, so hopefully I can be here for the weekend and not have to!
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Watch the highs and lows of the final round of the Masters as McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam in the playoffs.
“I’m happy to be here for the weekend. I’m excited to get to play two more times. It’s going to suck when I get home this afternoon, but if I want to play two more days, that’s a win.”
After this week, when he defends his Augusta National title, three PGA Tour events are scheduled: the Valspar Championship (March 19-22), the Texas Kids Houston Open (March 26-29) and the Valero Texas Open (April 2-5).
Who will win The Players? Watch live on Sky Sports all weekend. Live coverage continues on Sky Sports Golf from 1pm on Saturday with main groups, main holes and bonus feeds on Sky Sports+. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.
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