Rory McIlroy is near the top of the PLAYERS Championship, but he had to earn his 5-under 67 the hard way as his struggles off the tee continue.

Rory McIlroy will take the positives from an improved putting performance into the Players Championship as he seeks a second victory at Sawgrass. McIlroy, who won golf’s unofficial ‘fifth major’ in 2019,

Few have the experience of playing the Stadium Course as McIlroy and certainly not three of the players directly ahead of him on the leaderboard.