McIlroy bored at The Players, but in contention
Success at TPC Sawgrass is determined by how well a player picks their spots.
In the right rough with his tee shot at the short par-5 16th on Friday, Rory McIlroy decided to be aggressive with his second shot and try to replicate his eagle there from the day prior. McIlroy's brave line wasn't paid off, with his ball going into the water and leading to a bogey, one of two on the day.
Otherwise, the world No. 1 handled Pete Dye's house of mirrors well, making three birdies to shoot 1-under 71 and remain in contention for a first Players Championship title. At 4-under 140, McIlroy trails co-leaders Kevin Na and Jerry Kelly by four shots.
Ho-hum.
“I was pretty bored out there,” McIlroy said. “I’m not sure how you guys felt about watching it. Just try and hit fairways, hit greens, pick off my birdies when I could.”
He added, "But anything under par is a decent score, and right in there going into the weekend."
Most weekend warriors would pay handsomely to be ambivalent about those results.
However, McIlroy won't nod off on Saturday. With the field narrowed down, the field will be paired in twosomes.
"It'll be nice tomorrow with two-balls being able to sort of find a little bit more rhythm out there," he said.
McIlroy's draw? Billy Horschel, the guy he beat in 20 holes last week at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.