Lowry Clubhouse Leader as McIlroy Chases

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Rory McIlroy missed out on creating a piece of history in the Players Championship as Shane Lowry set the clubhouse target in the weather-affected second round at Sawgrass.

McIlroy carded seven birdies and an eagle in his first 16 holes on the Florida course and came to the par-five ninth, his final hole, needing a birdie to set a new course record of 62.

However, faced with a second shot from 271 yards, the four-time major winner surprisingly opted to lay up and then missed the green from 90 yards with his approach, before fluffing a chip and running up his only bogey of the day.

The resulting 64 left McIlroy three shots behind his potential Olympic team-mate Lowry, who added a 68 to his opening 65 to finish 11 under par, a shot ahead of Jonas Blixt, Alex Cejka and Cameron Tringale.

World number one Jason Day remained top of the leaderboard on 14 under but was unable to complete his round following a two-hour delay due to lightning in the area.

The US PGA Champion opting not to complete the 15th after play was eventually suspended due to darkness.

Lowry had started on the back nine and bogeyed 14 and birdied 16 before dumping his tee shot into the water on the 17th, but then holed out from 120 yards for only the sixth eagle in tournament history on the 18th.

Birdies on the second and third, either side of the delay, were followed by another on the fifth to leave the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational champion in contention for a second PGA Tour title.

"I got off to a bit of a shaky start today, I didn't feel that comfortable and then we were called in," said Lowry.

"To go back out there and make a couple of birdies and finish the round nicely was good."

Lowry revealed on Thursday that his poor form had prompted an "emergency" call to his coach Neil Manchip before play began, while he also benefited from a putting tip from Graeme McDowell.

"I was struggling to see the lines and he gave me a tip to stand a bit further from the ball and I've managed to hole a few putts the last couple of days, which is nice," Lowry added.

McIlroy (above) had earlier holed plenty of putts but never gave himself a chance to do so on the final hole after taking an unusually conservative approach.

"I've got it in my head with the ninth hole that any time that I have gone for the green it has not really worked out for me," he said. "I had a good number today and laid up with a nine iron.

"I probably had a two iron to the front of the green. In hindsight, with that pin being on the left side, anywhere on the right I probably had a chance to get up and down.

“I thought get it within 100 yards and take my chances from there and just didn't hit a great third shot and left myself in a difficult position."

American Colt Knost was a shot ahead of McIlroy after earlier also missing out on the course record, the world number 184 shooting 63 after three-putting the 18th from 40 feet.

Knost, who carded 10 birdies in 15 holes from the third, admitted nerves had contributed to missing his par putt on the 18th from four feet.

He said: "I hit a pretty good putt to be honest and it just lipped out on me.

"It was cool to be in the mix and knowing I could do something that no-one else has done but we have two more days to do that."

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Master Willett Plans More Titles

Danny Willett - Getty Images

Winning the Masters is a "fantastic start" to achieving "special things" in golf, says Danny Willett.

The Yorkshireman, 28, is the first European winner at Augusta since 1999 and only the fourth British champion.

"It's a great feeling and hopefully one we can have many more times," said Willett of his first major victory.

Willett's manager Chubby Chandler said the golfer could win another major this year and become number one in the world "without any doubt".

Carding a final-round five-under-par 67, the Englishman took advantage of defending champion Jordan Spieth dropping six shots in three holes.

The last European to win at Augusta was Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal, while the only other British champions have been Nick Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996), Sandy Lyle (1988) and Ian Woosnam (1991).

Chandler said Willett, a 2007 Walker Cup team-mate of three-time major winner Rory McIlroy, could "become one of the greats of his time".

"He won't be distracted. He knows exactly what he's trying to do. Winning the Masters is the start of the journey, not the end of the journey," said Chandler.

"He knows exactly how many majors Rory has won and he will want to get up there and past Rory's tally. If you take Tiger Woods out, what is the next best tally of majors among current players? Phil Mickeslon with five."

The former English amateur champion turned professional in 2008, but his progress has been slower than others of his generation, such as McIlroy, Spieth and Rickie Fowler, with ongoing back problems halting his progress.

But Chandler revealed that the vicar's son, once the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world, carefully managed his back problems and used his father, Steve, as a psychologist.

"He had his trainer in Augusta and he's got a terrible back, so once a month he has a check-up, and then he goes on and does his thing properly," he said.

"He works so hard in the gym, partly because of his back and because he wants to, so he will be here for a long time."

Willett, who described his victory on Sunday as "surreal", admitted he is not yet at the level of world number three McIlroy, 26, and world number two Spieth, 22.

"They've obviously achieved a good bit more than me. I've still got a bit of a way to go to be up there with those boys," added Willett, who moves to ninth in the world rankings after his Augusta win.

"But it is a fantastic start in the right direction of doing pretty special things in big tournaments.

"I'm just looking forward to being in that illustrious group of major winners, making sure I move forward in my game and seeing what else I can achieve."

Facts - Danny Willett

The son of a vicar, he was born on 3 October, 1987 in Sheffield

Left school at 16 but later attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama on a golfing scholarship

Won the 2007 English Amateur Championship and in early 2008 became the world's top-ranked amateur

Turned professional in 2008 and clinched his first European Tour victory at the 2012 BMW International Open in Germany

Won twice on the European Tour in the 2015 season and made his Masters debut where he finished tied 38th

Captured his fourth European Tour victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in February 2016

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Rory Rollercoaster as Spieth Slips

McIlroy at Augusta, Round 2

Rory McIlroy believes the Masters "owes" him a green jacket to complete the career grand slam after setting up a mouthwatering battle with defending champion Jordan Spieth.

McIlroy could have won his first major title at Augusta National when he took a four-shot lead into the final round in 2011, only to collapse to a closing 80 to finish 10 shots behind the winner Charl Schwartzel.

The 26-year-old bounced back to win the US Open two months later and the US PGA title in 2012, meaning victory in the Open at Hoylake in 2014 left him needing victory in the Masters to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in having won all four majors.

"I sort of feel that Augusta owes me something and I have come with that attitude," McIlroy said after a second round of 71 in swirling winds left him just a shot behind Spieth, who struggled to a 74. "I have come here to get something that I should have had a long time ago.

"You need to be so focused and in control of your emotions here. It's about not getting fazed and mentally I have been good the last couple of days. I need to keep that going for the next two days."

McIlroy was eight shots behind Spieth after 11 holes as the world number two threatened to turn the tournament into a procession for the second year running in his quest to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods in making a successful title defence.

However, The Masters ChampionsSpieth then four-putted the fifth and became noticeably annoyed at being timed for slow play around Amen Corner on his way to his worst score in 10 rounds as a professional.

McIlroy took full advantage with birdies on the 13th, 15th and 16th to put himself in a great position, but admits he needs to ignore who he is playing with and the significance of what he is trying to achieve.

"Look, I know it's a very big weekend for me. I know that," he said. "But when I'm out there on the golf course, I just have to be completely 100 per cent focused on the task at hand, and if I can do that and stay in the moment and be completely focused over every golf shot I hit from now until Sunday night, then hopefully everything will work out the way I want it to."

Despite his rollercoaster round, Spieth still became the first player in Masters history to hold the outright lead for six rounds in succession, but joked he would rather play with someone "less threatening" than McIlroy.

"We seem to both be on our games right now and focusing on this week. With a lot of players behind us there is potential for someone to shoot a few under tomorrow and move into the lead from outside the top 25.

"I don think either one of us will focus on each other, we'll focus on the course. Sure it's exciting to play with Rory, but we'll not think much more of it."

The top 32 players are separated by just six shots.

Shane Lowry remains just four off the lead despite singing for a 76.

US Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau was also on level par after a triple-bogey seven following two wild drives on the 18th, when a par would have made the 22-year-old the only player in the field to break 70.

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Injury Keeps Tiger Out of Masters

Tiger Woods will not take part in next week's Masters because of a back injury.

Woods, 40, has not played competitively since August and has had two operations in an attempt to cure the problem.

The American insists he is "making progress" in his recovery but has put no timescale on his return to action.

"I've decided it's prudent to miss this year's Masters," read a statement. "I've been hitting balls and training daily, but I'm not physically ready."

Former world number one Woods also pulled out of the tournament in 2014 with a back problem and finished in a tie for 17th last year.

"I've said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what's best for my long-term health and career," he added. "Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn't be the right decision.

"I'm absolutely making progress, and I'm really happy with how far I've come, but I still have no timetable to return."

The 14-time major winner, who has slipped to 472nd in the world rankings, will attend the Champions Dinner at Augusta National on Tuesday.

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Great Scott! Adam Wins Honda with Short Putter

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Adam Scott banished any doubts over how he would cope without the long putter that helped him become No1 in the world with victory in the Honda Classic on Sunday.

Scott recorded a closing 70 at PGA National at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to finish nine under par, one shot ahead of his playing partner Sergio García, who was left to rue dropped shots on the 16th and 17th in his 71.

The American pair Blayne Barber and Justin Thomas shared third place on five under, with Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell a shot further back in fifth after a closing 69.

Scott won the Masters in 2013 using a long putter and reached the top of the world rankings in May 2014, a week before his last victory, in the Crowne Plaza Invitational, but has successfully reverted to a conventional club to comply with the ban on anchored strokes which came into effect on 1 January.

The 35-year-old began the final round tied with García and moved two shots clear with birdies on the 1st and 5th as he looked to become the first player since Phil Mickelson in 2009 to win on the PGA Tour after making a quadruple bogey. The Australian had enjoyed a three-shot lead before finding water twice on the par-three 15th in the third round to run up a seven, although a birdie on the 17th helped repair some of the damage.

García had bogeyed the 17th before a birdie on the 18th took the two friends into the last day tied at the top of the leaderboard, but the Spaniard had to settle for nine straight pars on the front nine in the final round.

However, with Scott dropping a shot on the 9th after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker and another on the 10th after a wayward drive, García was back on level terms before missing from two feet for par on the 11th after his approach cleared the water by only a few yards.

Scott restored his two-shot lead after a superb approach from a fairway bunker on the 12th left him with a tap-in birdie, only for García to reduce his deficit to a single shot with a birdie on the 14th.

Both players bogeyed the 16th and García’s chances of victory effectively disappeared with another bogey on the next, although he at least birdied the last before Scott calmly tapped in for par to secure the win.

Speaking to Sky Sports after securing his 12th PGA Tour title, Scott said: “I’m so pleased. It’s been a long time between drinks on the PGA Tour, especially after I was in such good form the last time I won, but that’s the beauty of this game.

“It felt like hard work out there to get it in the clubhouse and Sergio stuck with me the whole way and did not give me an inch. Fortunately it was enough to win.

“The game was definitely there, although it was not as pinpoint as yesterday. It’s hard to do that two days in a row at PGA National but I hit some great shots at the right times and hit a lot of putts that hit edges today.”

Asked about reverting to the short putter, Scott added: “It was a tough change in some ways but I fully embraced it when I decided to make it at the Presidents Cup last year and I have enjoyed putting with the shorter putter since.

“I feel like I am getting better and better and today was a great test. I made some and missed some. I’m going to try and get better next week and it’s certainly validated making the move to the short putter.”

García was magnanimous in defeat, telling Sky Sports: “I think he deserved it. I am proud of the way I hung in there. I don’t feel like my swing was anywhere near where I wanted it to be but I scored nicely.

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McIlroy Looks for Classic at Honda

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World number three Rory McIlroy believes he has made "good strides forward" before the Honda Classic in Florida, which starts on Thursday.

This season the Northern Irishman has come third in Abu Dhabi, sixth in Dubai and 20th in the Northern Trust Open.

"I feel like I am playing well, so it's going out there and doing it when it matters," he said.

He has been paired with holder Padraig Harrington and Open champion Zach Johnson for the first two rounds.

McIlroy, who has won four majors, won the tournament at PGA National in 2012 to become world number one for the first time.

But the following year he walked off the course, telling reporters he was in "a bad place mentally" and then issuing a statement citing severe toothache as the reason for withdrawing.

The 26-year-old lost in a play-off in 2014 and missed the cut last year.

"It's exciting to be back here," he said. "I've had some good performances here in the past and it's a bit of a home game for me this week, only living a couple of minutes down the road.

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Tiger Woods Can't Hurry Love

US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III believes Tiger Woods can play in this year's match with Europe, but his injuries have been "underestimated".

Woods, 40, has not played competitively since August and has had three back operations in the last 18 months.

On Tuesday he tweeted a clip of himself hitting a ball into a virtual screen and wrote: "Progressing nicely."

Love said: "If he can play 10 or 12 tournaments in a row, I think he can get his game back and make our team."

Woods, who has spent a record 683 weeks as world number one, is now ranked 445th and his agent Mark Steinberg recently denied reports that the 14-time major winner had suffered a setback with his rehabilitation.

A winner of 79 PGA Tour events, Woods is one of Love's vice-captains for the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine as the US attempt to halt a run of three successive defeats, and has targeted becoming the first playing vice-captain in the history of the event.

"Tiger is very adamant he can handle both roles," Love told BBC World News. "I think Tiger will work hard enough, if his body will allow it.

"If he keeps stopping and starting - and the injuries keep piling up - it's going to be tough for him, but he's very determined. We've seen that."

Woods played only 11 events in 2015, carding his worst round as a professional with a 13-over-par 85 at the Memorial Tournament in June.

He missed the cut at The Open and PGA Championship but, in his final event before injury, he posted rounds of 64 and 65 in finishing in a tie for 10th at the Wyndham Championship.

"We've underestimated his injuries," Love said. "He has really been held down the last few years, but he can play.

"Get him out there on the golf course and he still wants to do it. He just needs a full season, like any athlete, to get himself straightened out."

The Ryder Cup runs from 30 September to 2 October.

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Steinberg Dismisses Tiger Reports

Tiger Woods' agent has dismissed reports the 14-time major winner has suffered a setback on his comeback from injury as "absolutely false".

Mark Steinberg was responding to social media comments claiming Woods' condition had worsened on his return from a third back operation.

In December, Woods, 40, said he had "nothing to look forward to" in his recovery and admitted spending his time playing video games.

He has not played golf since September.

US golf writer Robert Lusetich later tweeted about Woods: "Not to say career's over, but no imminent return"

Steinberg added: "It's reprehensible that every few months someone makes something up and it's treated like a real story.

"Tiger continues to work on his rehabilitation and we will have an accurate update at the appropriate time."

Former world number one Woods' last major victory was at the US Open in 2008. His most recent PGA Tour victory was the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational in 2013.

He has not competed competitively since August 2015, when he tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship.

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