McIlroy Targets Players Championship

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Rory McIlroy admits he is frustrated at failing to turn good performances into wins this season as he looks to claim one of the few big titles so far missing from his glittering CV in the Players Championship.

As well as winning four major titles and playing on three successive victorious Ryder Cup teams, McIlroy has won two World Golf Championship events and two FedEx Cup play-off tournaments, meaning the so-called 'Fifth Major' is high on the agenda.

McIlroy has finished eighth, sixth and eighth in the last three years at Sawgrass, but similar statistics so far in 2016 mean the 27-year-old is the only member of the world's top five without a victory this season.

"Results-wise it isn't what I hoped for," McIlroy told a pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday. "My performances have been pretty good, I've had a few chances to win tournaments. Of the nine events I've played so far I think I have six top-10s so it hasn't been too bad, but there's no wins in there.

"It's been frustrating and especially because I feel like I've played some really good golf in this stretch, but at the same time there's just been too many mistakes.

"Again last week I led the field in birdies at Quail Hollow, I was up there at Augusta. There's just been too many loose shots, too many soft bogeys, so if anything I just need to tidy that up because I know I'm playing good enough to make the birdies and to post a lot of red (under par) numbers, but I just need to tidy up everything else."

Despite those frustrations, McIlroy remains confident in his ability to "close" out tournaments down the stretch, reiterating that he learnt the most from his collapse in the 2011 Masters.

McIlroy, who was four shots clear heading into the final round at Augusta before slumping to a closing 80, added: "I don't think I believed I was a good closer until 2012.

"My wins early on in my career I led by a lot; whether it was my first win in Dubai, I think I was six ahead with six to play and sort of fell over the line there. When I won at Quail Hollow in 2010 I was five behind at the start of the day and I ended up winning by four. I just got on a great run, I didn't actually have to play with the lead for any length of time. US Open was sort of similar in 2011.

"At the start of '12, whenever I needed to hold on on the back nine at the Honda Classic.... Tiger (Woods) had shot 62, I was trying to get in the clubhouse and become world number one for the first time, that's when I really believed I've finally been able to close a tournament out and be able to play the right shot at the right time and keep it together.

"It takes experience, it takes losing a few first I think before understanding what you need to do. I've always said the biggest learning curve and day of my career was that Sunday at Augusta in '11.

"At least I know now exactly what not to do and what doesn't work for me so when I go into these final rounds and situations where I have a chance to win, I know how to handle myself, what way to think.

"I think that's the big thing, the mentality of learning what's going to be a good score that day, what's going to be the number that's going to win and really try and forget about everything else and try to get to that number."

Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell also tee off on Thusday at TPC Sawgrass.

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McIlroy Wells Fargo Charge Fades

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Rory McIlroy, the tournament's only two-time winner, had two bogeys in the first four holes and shot 73.

The two-time tournament champion who shot 11-under 61 last year in the third round on his way to a runaway victory, couldn't muster that same magic on Saturday.

He struggled throughout his round with his accuracy off the tee and putting. A double bogey on the ninth hole and bogey on the 11th seemed to zap him of any momentum and likely a chance at becoming the tournament's first three-time winner.

McIlroy said the course is "tricky," especially on the back nine but said his game still isn't where it needs to be.

"There's been spells where it's been good and I've had a couple of chances to win this year, but it's a work in progress," said McIlroy, who has not won on the PGA TOUR this season. 

"I'm trying to stay patient, as patient as possible, but there are definitely times out on the course where I get quite frustrated."

Rickie Fowler is looking to jumpstart his season at a course where he first won on the PGA Tour.

Fowler shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to take the third-round lead at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Fowler, who broke through at Quail Hollow Club in 2012 for his first tour title, had a one-stroke lead over Roberto Castro, with Justin Rose and James Hahn two strokes back.

Rickie won THE PLAYERS Championship and Deutsche Bank Championship last year and took the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi early this year. Though he blew a late lead and lost the Phoenix Open in a playoff this season, he has the confidence to handle pressure situations in the final round. That's something he admitted he didn't have five years ago.

"It's completely different," Fowler said. "I would say before (it was) maybe not the complete belief or knowledge of knowing what to do and how to win to get the job done. But now it's fun to go out there and go take care of business."

Castro was atop the leaderboard most of the day, but bogeyed the 18th hole for a 71.

Winless on the tour, he said he's looking forward to playing with Fowler in the final group Sunday.

"If you want to win a tournament out here and really win a marquee event like this one, you're going to have to grab your hat and play with one of the top five players in the world probably the final round," Castro said. "So that's what I've got tomorrow so I'm excited about it."

Fowler parred the first seven holes Saturday before heating up with three straight birdies on Nos. 8-10. It appeared things were starting to crumble after bogeys on 10 and 12, but Fowler came back strong with three straight birdies starting on No. 14 to pull into a tie for the lead. He had a little luck along the way.

Fowler avoided potential trouble on the 18th hole when his ball held up in the high grass instead of rolling into the creek along left side of the fairway. Playing with the ball well above his feet, Fowler ripped an iron onto the green and saved par.

Phil Mickelson and defending champion Rory McIlroy struggled, dropping eight shots behind Fowler.

Mickelson, looking for his first win at the Quail Hollow Club in 13 starts, was in contention until a quadruple-bogey 8 on his old nemesis, the 18th hole. He finished with a 76.

He found the creek on his approach shot and, after taking a drop, needed three chips before finding the green and two-putting for an 8.

Mickelson's struggles on the final hole at Quail Hollow have been well documented. In the 51 career rounds, he is 21 over on No. 18 -- a hole he said earlier this week simply doesn't set up well for the left-hander.

Rose has quietly put himself in contention on Sunday after rounds of 70, 70 and 69.

He said the course, which will host the PGA Championship next year, is playing extremely hard especially given the gusty wind this week.

"This type of scoring would definitely hold up in a PGA Championship," Rose said. "They're not looking for us to shoot even par like a U.S. Open. Single digits under par is really good golf and it's a sign of a great golf course."

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Harrington Classic 70 in Zurich

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Padraig Harrington signed for a two under par 70 at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans on Friday to finish in share of 36th place - six strokes off the leader, Ben Martin.

The Dubliner is targeting the US Open and has decided to play the qualifier next month at Walton Heath as his five-year exemption ended last year. As did his automatic playing rights to The Masters where the three time major winner was forced to miss out for the first time in 14 years.

The US Open qualifier is immediately after the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth at the end of May. To date Harrington has competed in 16 US Opens since making his debut in 1997 at Oakmont.

A few weeks ago, Martin had missed seven of eight cuts and figured he'd better make some changes. He started by meeting with his sports psychologist and hiring an old buddy from Clemson as his new caddie.

The results have been pretty good so far.

On Thursday, Martin treated a tiny late-afternoon gallery to a course-record round, shooting a 10-under 62 in the first round of the Zurich Classic.

"Really, everything was working well," Martin said. "I had a pretty good start and just kept it rolling. It was just one of those days, just like you draw it up."

Martin birdied 10 holes and made pars on the rest. His final birdie came on his most spectacular shot in a round full of them when he chipped in from 55 feet with a 54-degree sand wedge on the par-3 17th hole. That came a hole after the 26-year-old South Carolina native hit the flag on a chip from behind the green, setting up a tap-in par.

The previous record at TPC Louisiana was a 64, accomplished many times, including once earlier Thursday, when Andrew Svoboda did it to take a lead that held up until Martin surged past late in the day.

Peter Hanson and Sueng-Yul Noh were tied for third at 65.

Martin stayed home during the Masters two weeks ago, when meetings with his psychologist persuaded him to focus more on the process of playing on the tour than his results. Then he hired fellow former Clemson player Alex Boyd to haul his clubs, giving him a sense of comfort as he walked the course with someone he could talk to about anything.

"We're good friends ... have a lot in common, so a lot to talk about in between shots," Martin said.

Last weekend, Martin matched his career best with a third-place tie in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C. He also finished third in early March in the Puerto Rico Open, but missed four cuts after that.

Martin opened the Zurich with a 10-foot birdie putt, the first of six birdies on the front nine, most set up by approach shots within 10 feet. One exception was his 26-foot birdie putt on No. 5. He opened the back nine with a 14-foot birdie putt, made a 10-footer on 11 and a 20-footer on 13.

Most of the round was followed by only a dozen or so people, including his mother, Suzie, who could be heard making encouraging comments like, "nice putt," and "good par."

Svoboda birdied six of his last nine holes.

Like Martin, the 34-year-old Svoboda has never won on the PGA Tour and appreciates how much can change in the next three rounds. At the same time, New Orleans has seen its share of maiden tour triumphs. It has happened in six of the past nine years, and 10 of the past 16.

"I'll take that stat," Svoboda said.

Svoboda's best career finish on the PGA Tour is a tie for 15th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas last October.

Hanson's round was highlighted by an eagle on the par 4 sixth hole, accomplished with a 6-iron from 183 yards.

Hanson, who missed the cut at the Masters, put away his clubs for four days after that and tried to relax, which he said helped.

"We want to do this so exact and be so precise," Hanson said. "I over-read putts and overanalyze the shots, trying to figure this game out. I think sometimes you have to let the score come to you instead of you going after it."

Erik Compton, Chad Collins and Michael Thompson were tied for fifth at 66, and Jeff Overton, Stuart Appleby and Robert Streb followed at 67.

Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient, spent the early part of the week meeting with children with heart conditions at a New Orleans-area hospital and participated in a junior golf clinic. Although that limited his practice time, he thought it put him in a good frame of mind.

"It seems to really relax me and really puts things in perspective," Compton said. "I seem to play better during the weeks where I have hospital visits."

On the par-5 seventh, his 297-yard drive sailed right of the fairway, crossing a cart path. But he belted a 227-yard shot out of the rough to the foot of the green and two-putted for birdie. He ended his round with a 22-foot birdie putt on nine to briefly put him atop the leaderboard.

"This is a course that I feel very comfortable on," said Compton, also winless on the PGA Tour. "You have to hit a lot of long iron shots and drive it well here, and those are some of the strengths of my game."

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