AUGUSTA, Ga. » Rory McIlroy had just hit his drive into the middle of the fairway at the 10th when a reporter walking down the left side of the par-4 hole spotted a security guard sitting under a tree near the white-and-green trimmed cabins the young Irishman visited briefly in last year’s final-round implosion.
Located about 50 yards off the fairway and there to keep the rabble from wandering into this elite neighborhood, he told her, “You’re safe now, Rory just hit.”
She laughed out loud and then said, “You’re so mean.”
Perhaps, but McIlroy’s Masters debacle won’t be easily forgotten, especially if the 22-year-old is still in contention on Sunday afternoon. He dropped from first to a tie for 15th en route to an 80 that fateful final day in 2011.
At a Tuesday afternoon interview session, McIlroy took a light-hearted approach to his duck-hook that hit a pine tree and ricocheted dead left into somebody’s back yard. Though he found the fairway during Friday’s second round, his approach landed 40 feet below the flag.
From there, he needed three putts for one of only two bogeys as he moved into a tie for third with a 69 that left him at 4-under 140 after 36 holes.
He and Sergio Garcia (68—140), who was playing a group ahead of him, kept going back and forth on the closing nine.
Both were 3 under walking off the 10th green, with Garcia carding birdies at Nos. 12 and 15 to move to 5 under at one point, before bogeying the difficult 18th. McIlroy countered with birdies at 13 and 15 to move to 5 under as well, before an errant drive at the 17th led to a 5 at the tough par 4.
Garcia stood on the tee at the 17th and snuck a peek at the nearby par-3 16th green after the crowd roared its approval at McIlroy’s iron shot that landed 15 feet over the top of the flag stick. He and his Ryder Cup teammate are one shot off the lead held by the unlikely American pair of Fred Couples (67—139) and Jason Dufner (70—139).
McIlroy playing parter Bubba Watson joined the logjam in third with a 71.
The young American was 1 under at the turn, but shot a 33 on the back to remain in contention at this year’s first major golf championship. He and Garcia are known for faulty putters in pressure-packed situations, something McIlroy has managed to control.
He knocked in a 6-footer for par at 18 to avoid an untidy bogey-bogey finish. Despite being outdriven consistently for most of the day by Watson and past Masters champion Angel Cabrera, McIlroy said that the big piece of furniture will be key for his chances this weekend.
“I drove the ball better and that was the big thing,” said McIlroy, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation and needed 30 putts to complete his round.
“Whenever you drive the ball well here, it enables you to be a little more aggressive with your iron shots, and maybe go for a few more pins. That was the difference today.”
Garcia believes the changes to the golf course in 1999 made driving a premium. Before, it was about play around the greens.
“Now, you have to drive the ball,” Garcia said. “If you don’t drive the ball here, you are out of position. The fairways have gotten very narrow. There are a lot of trees around that didn’t used to be there. And it just becomes very, very difficult. The course now tests every single part of your game.”
Who keeps the golf ball in the fairway over the weekend will go a long way toward someone slipping comfortably into a green jacket. Garcia has never played particularly well here, by his own admission, and McIlroy is just getting started with the duck-hook still fresh on most people’s minds.
The leaderboard is crowded, with a lot of guys still in contention, but you get the feeling if McIlroy can carry the big stick, he might be the last guy standing come Easter Sunday.
“I wouldn’t say I’m in a position to win yet,” McIlroy said. “There are a lot of guys going out there (today) who will think they have a chance over the next two days. But I’m in a nice position.”
