PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – If given the choice, Rory McIlroy would likely vote to change the format of The Players Championship: scrap the front nine at TPC Sawgrass, and just play the back nine on a loop.
McIlroy has historically struggled with the outward half and thrived coming in, a trend he continued with a 2-under 70 in the third round that took him to 6 under for the championship. The Ulsterman carded a bogey-free 33 on the back nine, boosting his record on the side to 7 under this week and 28 under across his last eight rounds.