Rory McIlroy is still in search of the secret to TPC Sawgrass as he misses the halfway cut following a frustrating 74 on day two of The Players Championship.
Rory McIlroy’s challenge started with a middling one-under-par round of 71, his lowest opening score at Ponte Vedra Beach.
But, a week that promised so much ended in misery as the 29-year-old ended his bid for the title16 shots behind 36-hole leader Webb Simpson on one-over-par.
The Northern Irishman struggled off the tee, hitting only 6 of 14 fairways and found 10 of 18 greens in regulation.
From the start, signs showed the four-time major champion wasn’t up to scratch. His first three tee shots flirted with trouble down the left-side of the course, and although he scrambled well a run of six straight pars wasn’t the start he needed.
On a day when the course was scorable, with temperatures over 90 degrees seeing the ball travel further and land on softer than usual greens, McIlroy was lost in the haze.
After he pulled a 288-yard drive left into the water, on the par-4 seventh, McIlroy chipped his fourth shot to 4 feet to limit the damage, and rolled in the bogey putt to move him to 1-over for the round.
A successive dropped shot after a bunkered tee shot at eight, he picked up his first birdie of the day at the ninth with a two-putt from 65 feet.
That shot was given straight back as he pulled a driving iron left off the tee at the 10th, finding the sand. A three-putt on the par-5 sixteenth which was ranked the third easiest hole on Friday left work to do with only seven holes left.
There are always fireworks with the former world number one, yesterday that came when he drove the green at the 12th to pick up his second birdie of the day.
But a blocked tee shot to the right of the 13th green saw Rory card his fourth bogey of the day. A birdie at the fourteenth and then another gain at the easiest hole on the course, the par-4 sixteenth saw him inside the cut-line.
Fighting to make the weekend, the infamous par-3 seventeenth makes even the world’s best shake with fear. McIlroy was at the mercy of Sawgrass.
A slight mis-hit and his tee shot to 17 stalled in the air, it just pitched on the front bank next to the bunker, but rolled back into the water.
McIlroy made his worse score of the week at the 137-yard par three, a trip to dropzone and two-putt from 8 feet, moved him to 2 over for his round.
It was only on his fourth start at The Players Championship that Rory McIlroy broke par since then he’s only had five rounds, out of 28, in the 60s and missed four cuts at TPC Sawgrass in his career, with only 3 top tens.
With his tournament ended an uninspiring par at the last left him two-over for the day and on a one-over total. However, it was a different a story for his playing partners.
World’s number four and three Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas both grazed through on the mark, with the Spieth
The 29-year-old wasn’t the only one packing his bags early at the halfway stage, former champions Martin Kaymer and Rickie Fowler also finished at one over.
Form horse Francesco Molinari, who has finished inside the top ten at TPC Sawgrass three of the last four years, missed out on the weekend after consecutive rounds of 73. While 2007 champion Phil Mickelson bogeyed the last three holes on Friday to capitulate at 8-over par.
