Rory McIlroy unfazed by underwhelming finish to second round at Sawgrass
Mcllroy bogeyed two of his last four holes to card a 68.
Rory McIlroy shrugged off a disappointing finish to his second round of the Players Championship and insisted he would relish the forecast tough weekend conditions at Sawgrass.
Mcllroy bogeyed two of his last four holes to add a 68 to his opening 67 and lie two shots behind clubhouse leaders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia, who both shot 66 to reach 11 under par.
Starting from the 10th, McIlroy chipped in for birdie on his opening hole and picked up further shots on the 12th, 14th, 16th and 18th to cover the back nine in 31.
The world number two also birdied the par-five second but dropped a shot on the sixth after twice finding sand on the difficult par four, which has provoked a mixed reaction from the players after an overhanging tree – replacing the original which had to be removed 11 years ago – was planted in front of the tee.
McIlroy also bogeyed the par-five ninth after his second shot clattered into the trees short of the green but was happier with his long game than he had been on Thursday.
