McIlroy Shoots 67 at Quail

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Rory McIlroy’s finished his second round at the Wells Fargo Championship signing for a 67 on seven under par overall.

A poor pitch at the par 5 looked to have left him too much to do on the green but he rattled home from 30 feet - further proof that the work he did on his putting with Dave Stockton in the last few days is paying off.

On Friday the four-time major winner was in full flow and looked determined to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck going into the weekend.

When his drive at the 14th ran through the green 345 yards away minds were beginning to wander towards the possibility of the Northern Irishman breaking his own course record of 62 at the North Carolina resort.

However a sloppy chip left him with too much to do for birdie and an excellent chance of going three under par after five holes was squandered.

That missed opportunity perhaps played a part in McIlroy’s deceleration as he only managed one birdie in the next eight holes.

That trend was broken with a birdie at the fifth, his 14th, before another typically glorious drive was only stopped from crawling onto the green at the par 4 eighth by the front bunker.

From there a controlled splash shot to four feet was enough to claim another birdie before a par at the ninth saw him sign for a 67.

McIlroy’s round was somewhat less eventful than that of tournament leader Martin Flores.

The world number 248 finished third at Quail Hollow last year and this year’s performance is certainly appeasing the notion that certain golf courses just suit certain players.

Flores has missed four of his last six cuts but that poor form has been exorcised by the fairways and greens of Quail Hollow as eight birdies and three bogies eventually resulted in a 67 that catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

He is joined at the summit by American compatriot Patrick Rodgers who is eight under par with three holes to play.

Patrick Reed slipped back down the leaderboard during the second round, thanks to a two over par round of 74.

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Hoey Trails Espana in El Prat

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Michael Hoey carded a second round 68 at the Open de España in El Prat, Barcelona, to reaching the half-way stage two strokes behind Edouard Espana.

Hoey got his day off to a perfect start with a birdie three at the first hole before adding two more at the fifth and the seventh to go out in 33.

Another birdie at the 10th and it looked like the Northern Irishman might catch first round leader Trevor Fisher at the top of the leaderboard. However his good run was stunted by consecutive bogies at the 11th and 12th holes.

A strong finish gave way to birdies at the 15th and 16th to post 68 and leave him tied third on five under par, with Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez one shot better off in second spot.

France’s Espana overcame strong winds which sent scores soaring in the afternoon to card a second round of 69 and finish seven under par at El Prat.

Jimenez had been four under following birdies on the second and fifth with his ninth European Tour ace – equalling the record of Colin Montgomerie – on the eighth, but came home in 39 to card a 71 and finish one under.

The 51-year-old, who is known for his love of cigars and red wine, at least had the consolation of winning 288 bottles of beer for his hole-in-one, which came when his six-iron pitched around 15 feet short of the pin and rolled perfectly into the hole.

Espana, 25, who graduated from the Challenge Tour last season, told European Tour Radio: “Leading the open with my name everywhere is very cool.

“I played really good today, it was very windy so it was tough to control distance and the putting was tough too but I played very well and I am really happy. My family is from Spain so that’s why my name is Espana. My cousins are here this week so it’s really good.

“It’s completely different (on the European Tour), the level of tournaments are higher so I have to improve my game, my level to play good on tour and I try but it’s difficult so we will see at the end of the week if I keep going.

“It’s tough because there are a lot of good players, the courses are really good and difficult so you have to play well and focus on your game.”

The strong afternoon winds meant pre-tournament favourite Sergio Garcia avoided a first missed cut in 11 appearances in the event, the world number seven having added a second round of 72 to his opening 75.

“I didn’t feel I played that badly,” said Garcia, who was a shot outside the projected cut after finishing his round with two birdies in the last six holes and a par save from a greenside bunker on the last.

“It was a great week last week with everything that happened (losing a play-off in the Players Championship). It takes it out of you, but it’s no excuse. You just try your best and hope it’s good enough.”

After discovering he had survived with a shot to spare, the 35-year-old later wrote on Twitter: “2 tough days to start the #OpendeEspana but at least I’ll have the opportunity to play the weekend and have a chance! Will need great golf!”

Gonzalez had set the early clubhouse target on six under par thanks to a second consecutive 69, the 45-year-old bouncing back from a double bogey on the 17th with a birdie on the last.

“I hit a bad tee shot on 17 and then I tried to hit the green, which was a big mistake, so I paid for it,” Gonzalez said. “I made a good six and then I said to my caddie: ‘I need to make a good birdie on 18’. I played two great shots to the green and and that gives me a lot of confidence for tomorrow.”

South Africa’s Darren Fichardt is alongside Hoey on five under after a disappointing 73.

Fichardt carded a superb 66 in the tougher afternoon conditions on Thursday and moved into a two-shot lead with a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth, but dropped four shots in the space of six holes from the 10th to come home in 40.

Overnight leader and fellow South African Trevor Fisher fared even worse, carding a 78 to drop back to one under.

Peter Lawrie signed for a three-over 75 to finish on five over, and outside the mark.

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All Wells Fargo for McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy was left frustrated by a ‘disappointing’ finish to his what he felt was a ‘solid’ first round at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The world No 1 struck six birdies during a solid opening 70 at Quail Hollow, although he would have finished higher up the leaderboard had it not been for a double-bogey on the penultimate hole.

McIlroy saw his tee-shot bounce off the rocks in front of the 17th green and land in the hazard, before he two-putted uphill after firing to within eight feet of the flag from the drop zone.

The late error leaves the world No 1 five strokes adrift of early pace-setter Robert Streb, but McIlroy, who won his first PGA Tour title in this event back in 2010, still had positives to take from his opening day.

“For the most part today it was solid golf,” McIlroy told Sky Sports 4. “I took advantage of the holes I needed to out there, but a bit disappointed with how it finished.

“For the most part today I felt I was pretty good on the greens. I did what I wanted to today.

“I need to get out there early tomorrow and hopefully shoot something a little bit lower, keeping the mistakes off my card for the next three days.”

McIlroy, looking to bounce back from a disappointing display with the putter at TPC Sawgrass last week, drilled in a 10-foot birdie at the first but dropped a stroke at the par-three second after leaving his approach short of the green.

Gains at the fifth and the seventh allowed the world No 1 to reach the turn in 34, before a tap-in birdie at the 10th was followed by a two-putt bogey from 15-feet at the next.

He shaved the hole at the par-three 13th with a 27-foot putt back-to-back gains at the 14th and 15th temporarily lifted him to within three of Streb heading in to the famous Green Mile, although lost ground with that error on the par-three 17th. 

McIlroy was then forced to save par at the last, finding the rough from the tee and then a greenside bunker with his iron shot, eventually chipping out of the sand to leave a three feet putt. 

The Northern Irishman is involved in one of the first groups out on Friday, beginning his second round alongside Ben Martin and Patrick Reed, who posted a first round 66, at 1pm UK time.

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Rory Suffers Cold Putter at Players

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Rory McIlroy admitted he needs a "pretty special" final round at TPC Sawgrass if he is to contend for a maiden Players Championship title on Sunday.

The world No 1 continued to delight from tee to green, but he struggled to contain his frustration after again failing to convert a number of excellent birdie chances as he carded a two-under 70 to close on six under.

McIlroy made a confident start with a birdie at the second, but his problems scoring on the front nine over the Stadium Course continued as he bogeyed the fifth and eighth and then whiffed a pitch at the long ninth.

Left of the green in two, McIlroy's lob wedge slid straight under the ball in the lush rough, but he composed himself before playing a sublime fourth to within three feet to save his par.

He got one shot back with a four at the 11th, and he rolled in a tricky downhill putt for birdie at 13 before two-putting from 15 feet for another at 16.

McIlroy had a chance to get to seven under following an excellent drive and approach to within 10 feet at the last, but the opportunity slid past and left him to reflect on what might have been.

"Tee to green it's been really good, I've given myself a lot of chances and really could not convert much," McIlroy told Sarah Stirk at the Sky Cart on Sky Sports4.

"I've struggled to read the greens all week and just don't quite have it on the greens like I did last week (when he won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play).

"I've left myself in a position where I am going to need something pretty special tomorrow to have a chance; a 64 or 65 to get somewhere around 13 or 14 under. I think that would go very close."

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Lowry Misses Cut at Sawgrass

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Rory McIlroy looked assured of scoring a points victory over newest rival Jordan Spieth on the second day of the lucrative Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida.

McIlroy headed into the back nine on the TPC Sawgrass course remaining at his round two starting score of three under par while the World No. 2 ranked Spieth stayed at three over also heading to his inward half.

McIlroy struggled early on with five opening pars before having to play a shot off a bitumen cart path right at the sixth in taking bogey before landing a super 76-yard wedge shot to just two feet for birdie at the ninth.

But while McIlroy was fighting hard to keep sight of clubhouse leading American Kevin Na, who shot a 69 to move two strokes clear at eight under par, former double winning Players champion Tiger Woods left a volunteer with a deep bruise on his leg.

Woods again had his caddy working over-time and calling distances from parts of the course not on the yardage book in posting a one under par 71 to move to back to even par for the $US 10m event.

The 14-time Major winning Woods hit the middle-aged volunteer with a wild drive down the right side of the 11th hole or the second of his round but in the process of hitting the volunteer it stopped the ball going deep into trees, and with Woods remarkably grabbing the first of six birdies but also posting in his round five bogeys.

Woods last regular PGA Tour win won on the Ponte Vedra Beach course two years ago and he’s not ruled winning again this week.

“My expectations at the start of the week remain still the same and I feel like I am playing well enough to get myself up there, but then anyone who makes the cut this week has a chance of winning,” said Woods.

“But I am just not capitalising on my opportunities and I need to start doing that over the weekend.

“I feel my golf is finally at a point where I can play tournament golf on a consistent basis but then I have worked my butt off to change it, and I’m pretty proud of that, to be able to show up at Augusta and do what I did, and now I’ve just got to keep building from there.”

Graeme McDowell signed for a second round 70 and a share of 46th place.

Padraig Harrington ended his two days on the cutline and his round of 73 on Friday just enough to ensure a weekend stay in Ponte Vedra. Good news for the Dubliner who is chasing a top-10 so he can qualify for next month’s US Open.

Shane Lowry missed the cut and will return home with just a pair of commemorative 2015 Players cuff-links, and his gift as a Players first-timer, having slipped to four over par after a second round 74.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia posted 32 putts in his round of 72 to remain at three under par but then as he headed to the clubhouse was heard to remark: “Is there a garbage bin around here?”

Garcia then snapped his putter over his knee and binned the club with three spectators sharing the broken putter and its head cover.

Five-time Major winning Phil Mickelson was a certain Sawgrass casualty posting scores of 73 and 76 to easily miss the cut with a shock five over par total.

Mickelson won the Players in 2007 but with his second round a mix of just three birdies but also two bogeys, a double bogey and a ninth hole triple bogey after his sprayed his second shot deep into the water guarding the green.

“It’s a tough course and I was thinking to myself as I was walking around today, I can’t believe I’ve actually won here,” he said smiling.

Dustin Johnson has not yet ruled out contesting the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open later his month at Royal County Down.

Johnson was a member of the 2007 winning USA Walker Cup team on the course laid out in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains. And after seeing a 63-yard wedge lip-out for eagle at the last in a second straight round of 72 the big-hitting American confirmed he is still in dialogue with McIlroy and joining winning Walker Cup team-mate Rickie Fowler.

“I’m still not sure if I will play the Irish Open and it’s still up in the air, and as much as I would like to return to Royal County Down, I’m still balancing my schedule over here,” said Johnson.

“I would very much like to go and I have been talking to Rory about it.”

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