Rory McIlroy ‘just very blah’ after missing Players Championship cut at Sawgrass

McIlroy’s fate seemed clear after he followed his miserable opening round of 76 with a 73 on Friday, and it was confirmed as the cut was made at two over par once the final finishers had reached the clubhouse on Saturday morning.

“It was just very blah,” said McIlroy on pgatour.com. “I guess the course, you just have to be really on to play well here.

“If you’re a little off, it definitely magnifies where you are off. It’s a bit of an enigma. Some years I come here and it feels easier than others.”

It was the first time McIlroy had missed the cut since failing to make the weekend at the FedEx St. Jude Championship last August, and he admitted he found the course difficult to master.

He said: “It’s just a tricky golf course, you don’t hit fairways and you’ve got your work cut out for you.

“I was just a little untidy here and there. In fairness I’ve been maybe trying to push the driver a bit too much up the fairway here rather than just taking a couple of clubs less and hitting 5-wood or 3-wood or 2-iron or whatever it is.

“It’s just the time management,” added McIlroy, who also organises players-only meetings and serves as a player director on the Tour Policy Board.

“The golf out here, that’s fine, but it’s just more the time at home to make sure you’re getting prepared, to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to be ready once you show up to these weeks.

“That’s where I’ve maybe sacrificed a little bit of time with some of this other stuff.”

Scottie Scheffler held a two-shot lead at the close of the third round at Sawgrass.

Scheffler moved to 14 under with a 65, with Min Woo Lee just behind on 12 under.

A new course record was set by Tom Hodge, the American, with a 10-under 62.

Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai are five off the lead.

Scheffler will return to the world number one spot if he wins the title on Sunday.