Rory McIlroy takes positives into The Players but rues missed chances after runner-up finish at Bay Hill | Golf News

Rory McIlroy will play alongside Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm for the first two rounds of The Players; McIlroy finished tied for second at Bay Hill and is targeting a second TPC Sawgrass victory; Watch the opening round live on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf

Rory McIlroy believes his game is showing signs of progress ahead of The Players after falling short of victory and returning to No. 1 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The Northern Irishman mixed seven birdies with five bogeys in a thrilling final round of 70 at Bay Hill, where many players chased victory on the star-studded leaderboard, leaving him tied for second and a shot behind champion Kurt Kitayama.

McIlroy has another chance to overtake Jon Rahm as No.1 at TPC Sawgrass, where he will partner the Spaniard and Scottie Scheffler for the first two days, with the four-time major winner happy about his performance heading into the PGA Tour’s flagship event.

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Following his victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Kurt Kitayama said he was ‘proud’ of his stunning PGA Tour breakthrough.

“I still wish I had a couple of shots back today, but I guess everyone will say the same thing,” McIlroy said. “It’s one of those days and one of those courses where you’re going to take away some missed opportunities and some missed putts here and there.

“I have to take the positives from it, which there are a lot of. We’ve got a massive event next week and I have to try to bring the momentum to Sawgrass. I feel like I figured out a little more driver this week. Yeah, got there.

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One of the highlights of the golfing calendar takes place this month on The Players, with hourly coverage from TPC Sawgrass live on Sky Sports

“It was a good week. I saw some positive signs. The game is rounded for a lot of the season. So even if I didn’t win, I’m still very happy with everything this week.”

How McIlroy missed in the Bay Hill thriller

McIlroy responded to bogeying the opening two holes of the day by making back-to-back birdies on the fourth, then charged into contention after canceling a dropped shot on the seventh with four birdies in five holes of the ninth.

Rory McIlroy is chasing his first PGA Tour victory since winning October’s CJ Cup

The 2018 Bay Hill champion made consecutive bogeys on 14 but birdied two putts on the par-five 16th to keep his hopes alive, then missed a 10-foot chance on the final green and ended the week on eight under.

“When I look back today, the only thing I’m looking forward to is the tee shot on 14,” McIlroy admitted. “I birdied 13 and got on 14 tees and to be honest I think I’m still like one or two behind the lead.

Rory McIlroy enters The Players as world No. 3, after starting the year at his highest ranking.

“When I walked to the 14th green, I looked behind me at the scoreboard, and I was one lead. Unlucky.

“I ended up making a bogey there and then a bad swing off the tee on 15 and a bogey. I had a chance at the end – hit a good putt and just missed on the low side – but a good week.”

Scheffler was happy despite the near-miss

Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Scheffler also had a chance to wrest the world No. 1 spot from Rahm, although a bogey on the final hole dropped him two strokes to fourth.

Scottie Scheffler is threatening to win for the second time in as many months

“Today was a lot of fun,” Scheffler said. “Obviously, I want to play better, but at the end of the day, I fought well. I didn’t have the best stuff today.

“I still gave it a chance after some pretty bad mistakes on the front nine, but Kurt [Kitayama] played fantastic golf today. I think to birdie 17 and par 18 to finish and win by one is pretty special.

What’s next?

Sky Sports Golf will be the home of The Players in 2023, with 60 hours of live coverage from Tuesday-Sunday of the tournament week and plenty of additional content available for you to enjoy.

Live coverage begins on Tuesday with a ‘Live from The Players’ show at 2pm, while the opening round is on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf!