Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irishman and four-time major champion, continues his robust performance, displaying no signs of slowing down at The Players Championship. Despite ending on a less than perfect note due to two dropped shots on the front nine, McIlroy’s five birdies on the back nine saw him surge into the lead at TPC Sawgrass.
At the close of play, McIlroy is currently tied at nine under with American golfer Collin Morikawa. McIlroy’s performance on Sawgrass’ back nine has been particularly noteworthy, given his historical difficulties on the front nine. Still, he remains in a promising position as the weekend games approach.
Known for his affinity for windy conditions, McIlroy is aiming for a repeat of his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am win where he triumphed despite strong winds. If successful, he would join an elite group of only seven golfers to have won multiple Players Championship titles.
Morikawa, a two-time major champion himself, was queried about McIlroy’s current form after Friday’s round. When asked about McIlroy’s tendency to always be in contention, Morikawa highlighted the consistency and longevity of McIlroy’s career, praising him as a model of these qualities. He reminisced about his professional debut in 2019 and how McIlroy was consistently placing within the top five or ten every week, a feat Morikawa aspires to replicate.
Moving away from McIlroy, Morikawa has had an eventful week himself, notably for his critique of golf pundits who lambasted him following the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. This came after the 28-year-old made the decision to leave the course without speaking to the media.
Despite McIlroy and Morikawa sharing the same score, they won’t be playing together on Saturday at TPC Sawgrass. Morikawa is set to play alongside Alex Smalley at 2:15 pm, while McIlroy, teeing off ten minutes later, will be paired with J.J. Spaun. The final pair of the day comprises Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler will tee off at 1:10 pm with Taylor Pendrith. Justin Thomas, who tied the course record on Friday and comfortably made the cut despite a first-round 78, has a tee time of 11:55 am.
With predictions of increasing wind speeds, the course at Sawgrass is likely to present a distinct challenge over the weekend rounds. As the tournament progresses, it will be intriguing to see how the players adapt to the changing conditions and how this impacts the leaderboard.