Rory McIlroy has slammed the pace of play on the US PGA Tour, labelling it an "epidemic" after firing his way into a share of the Players Championship lead during a second round which took more than five hours. He also made birdie at No. 17 by landing his tee shot just two feet, nine inches from the cup.
It was almost flawless, of course, a sand wedge into No. 6 that tracked the flag and landed next to the pin, except that it took a hard bounce and rolled over the back of the green. He'll have to do it at one of the most harrowing courses, against one of the strongest fields in golf, and most likely in bad weather.
Perhaps, given recent history, Rory McIlroy will take this position and the relative peace and quiet that comes with it. "And I think that has been the key this week". I've been so balanced - nothing like I used to be, nothing like before.
"I've been really proud the way I've handled. Hopefully, tomorrow, it shows how different I've been".
Jon Rahm after putting on the 9th green during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course.
Level par for the day through seven holes after a bogey-birdie start, McIlroy came to life when he made a 10-footer for a two at the 235-yard eighth, then birdied three of the next four holes to get to nine under.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is at 6 under and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is at 5 under.
McIlroy and Fleetwood struggled from the start and both eventually recovered, McIlroy sooner than Fleetwood, both finishing with a 70 that left them in excellent shape to capture the PGA Tour's biggest event.
Rahm narrowly missed a 13-foot birdie try at No. 18 that would have matched the course record of 62.
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Even so, he was bogey-free over the last 16 holes and shot 70. "We got very, very committed to each shot and (caddie Adam Hayes) helped get away and get focused on the moment and I ended up hitting a lot of them close".
"One shot at a time and all that and hopefully I can turn tomorrow into the best Sunday of the year so far for me". But it was another tough week for Lowry, who was far from his best from tee to green and seeking a birdie at the 18th, found water and made a double-bogey instead, adding a two-over 74 to his opening 73 to finish on three-over. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 8 after McIlroy tapped in for his birdie, and then picked up four birdies where they were available. I don't mind bogeying the 1st, that's fine.
"I showed some character out there, showed some grit", McIlroy said.
He followed with a wedge to the back shelf on the island green and another birdie to tie for the lead, and then made his great escape by opening the face of a pitching wedge to get over the tree, and letting the wind guide it back to the green.
Tiger Woods was five shots better on the par-3 17th - a quadruple bogey on Friday, a 2-foot birdie putt on Saturday - but still started so slowly that even a late run of birdies was only good for a 72. The 14-times major victor will soon turn his attention to the group format of the WGC Match Play in Austin, which will mark Woods's last appearance before the Masters.
Johnson and Snedeker are part of a huge logjam of six players at 10-under that also includes Ollie Schniederjans (65), Keegan Bradley (68), Brian Harman (71) and 48-year-old Jim Furyk (71), who achieved a moral victory by not falling in the lake as he hit his second shot on 18.
Rahm, who's just 24, will be trying to validate a year of maturing, reeling in his sometime tempestuous demeanor inside the ropes. He hit the right shot on the par-3 13th, with the pin below a ridge near the water, into 3 feet for another birdie. "We'll see what the stroke average is at the end of the day".
Surely, McIlroy wanted to make that birdie putt to get to 15-under, tied for the lead and in the final pairing.
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