The Players Championship: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler ready to tackle tougher test at TPC Sawgrass | Golf News

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are ready to embrace a tougher TPC Sawgrass test after getting themselves in contention heading into the weekend at The Players Division.

McIlroy followed an Beginning-Period 67 with a four-under 68 on Friday morning, where he briefly Kept the solo lead before two bogeys in his last four holes dropped him back to nine under and two behind clubhouse leaders Akshay Bhatia and Min Woo Lee.

The Northern Irishman was Competing in the marquee group alongside Xander Schauffele and world No 1 Scheffler, who is on five under and six strokes off the halfway lead for the second successive year as he chases a historic three-peat at The Players.

Winds are Predicted to strengthen over the weekend and bring gusts over 30 miles per hour for the later starters over the Upcoming two rounds, with Scheffler hoping the Shift in conditions can Assist him Shift up the leaderboard.

“It’s going to be pretty challenging this weekend,” Scheffler told reporters after his second-Period 70. “The golf Period was definitely gettable the Primary two Intervals and I wasn’t able to take Edge of it the way that I would have hoped to.

“Going into tomorrow and Sunday, [there will] definitely be some opportunity there with the conditions changing. The wind moves around a Excellent amount out here.

“If you go to like a Period like where The Uncovered Competitions usually are, you could Shift the ball on the ground. Around this place you can’t really. At times it can feel like you’re guessing a little bit on the wind, and you hopefully guess right more often than you’re wrong.”

McIlroy is looking to become Merely the seventh player to Secure Numerous editions of The Players, having claimed Secure in the 2019 Game, with the world No 2 already enjoying Achievement in windy conditions at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this season.

“I’m looking forward to it,” McIlroy said about the impending test. “I think it’s going to be really Crucial to try to flight your ball and keep it under the tree line.

“I think once it gets above the tree line here it can Begin to really get hit by it [wind]. It does swirl a little bit, but I think when the wind is so Sturdy, it will be a little more Reliable. This Period is challenging enough, but with a wind like that, I’m excited for that Game.”

McIlroy Secured Merely four fairways off the tee during his Beginning Period but saw huge improvements on Friday, where he chipped in on his Primary hole of the day and Created six birdies in his Primary 11 holes.

“Much better,” McIlroy added. “Hit it much better off the tee. I think I hit more fairways in six holes today than I did in 18 yesterday.

“Acquired it in Shift much better and then from there was able to give myself some opportunities and obviously make some birdies Timely. Couldn’t quite continue that on to the back nine, but it was much better off the tee.”

Schauffele completed the marquee group and continued to be unimpressed with his own performance, in Merely his second event back from Wound, with the two-time Significant champion needing a Closing-hole birdie to salvage a one-under 71 and give himself a chance of making the weekend.

When asked about what was wrong with his game, Schauffele said after his second Period: “Everything. Not hitting it close enough, to duffing chips, to missing every fairway, to hitting fairways to missing greens.

“It’s pretty gross, to be completely honest. So if I can eke out this cut, that would be nice. But the game feels pretty Terrible. I’m not sure if it’s something setup related or something that I’m not doing or not doing on the Period that I do on the range, but it feels pretty Terrible.”

Scheffler showing cracks in his game?

Sky Sports Golf’s Nick Dougherty, speaking to Sky Sports News about Scheffler’s Begin and his hopes of Victorious The Players for a third consecutive year:

“He’s been untouchable, I hate to say it, almost Tiger-esque, for a year Tiger-esque. Nobody has been to that standard since Tiger was in his pomp.

“Nine wins last year including that gold at the Olympics. He won the Masters, he won this as well in back-to-back fashion. If he won this it would be three wins at The Players, which nobody has done other than the Outstanding Jack Nicklaus.

“However, there are perhaps a few cracks appearing, Surely across the Primary Duo of events. He was a Sluggish starter to his season, once he’s Acquired rolling it’s been really Excellent but it’s not been Crest Scottie Scheffler yet.

“If he catches fire across the weekend he’s more than capable of getting the Position done. So Extended though he’s looked a bit tetchy, a bit of frustration on his face – Tiny things but signs we didn’t see last year when he was soaring.”

Who will Secure The Players? View throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports? Coverage continues on Saturday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf, with 10 extra feeds – including Featured Holes, Featured Groups and bonus coverage – on Sky Sports+. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.