LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Rory McIlroy charged up the leaderboard on the back nine, firing a seven-under 65 on Friday to grab a share of the lead with Tommy Fleetwood at the halfway stage of the Players Championship.
McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, went seven under par on his final 11 holes, making an eagle on the par-five 16th, a birdie on the par-three 17 and par on the par-four closing hole to reach a 12-under 132 total.
He is tied with England’s Fleetwood who shot a five-under 67 for his sixth straight round under par.
Ian Poulter (66), Jim Furyk (64), Brian Harman (69) and Abraham Ancer (66) are tied for third at nine-under 135 at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Fil-Australian Jason Day shot a 66 and is tied for seventh with Keith Mitchell and Kevin Kisner at eight-under 136.
After making changes last year to correct struggles, McIlroy feels he is on the right track with the Masters, and a chance to complete a career Grand Slam, just a month away.
He began Friday’s round with his lone bogey of the day before going on to make one eagle and six birdies.
This is the second straight week Fleetwood has had a share of the 36-hole lead after starting quickly Friday with a birdie-eagle-birdie beginning to his round.
Tiger Woods just made the cut with a one-under 71 but was left hovering along the cut line after a quadruple bogey seven on the picturesque par-three island green. He finished tied for 39th with a three-under 141 total, 9 strokes back of the leaders.
Teeing off on his eighth hole of the day after starting on the back nine, Woods’ tee shot from 146 yards was long and left over the island green and his next shot from the drop zone was also long.
‘’I was pretty ticked, no doubt about that,’’ Woods said.
