Justin Rose three off lead as Rory McIlroy struggles on greens at Frys.com Open
Sunday 18 October 2015 03:09, UK
Justin Rose will head into the weekend of the Frys.com Open just three shots off the lead as Rory McIlroy's putter again misfired on the second day in California.
Rose outscored his playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate at the Silverado Country Club, adding a three-under 69 to his opening 67 as Brendan Steele retained his overnight lead in the PGA Tour's season-opener.
McIlroy looked in fine touch from tee to green, but the putting problems that plagued him for much of 2015 showed little sign of easing as he spurned a series of good looks at birdie in a frustrating 71 that left him six strokes adrift of the leader.
But Rose backed up his sturdy long game with a decent performance on the greens, rolling in a 15-footer for birdie at the fourth and adding another at the next before a poor tee-shot to the short seventh cost him a shot.
He bounced back to convert excellent approaches to 10 and 12 and, after another wayward iron found the rough at 15, he got the shot straight back and parred in to get into the clubhouse alongside Scotland's Martin Laird on eight under par.
McIlroy managed to get a putt to drop for birdie at the fourth and he added another at the long ninth after missing from three feet at eight to turn in 34.
The world No 3 was let down by the short stick on the next three holes before he dropped his only shot of the round at 13, and his lack of confidence in the putter was evident down the stretch as he parred in to remain on five under.
McIlroy said: "It's very frustrating. It's been like this since I came back. I need to figure it out a little bit. I just need to see some putts going in the hole.
"I think it's more mental than anything else. Whenever you don't see anything go in, it makes it harder and harder each and every hole that goes by.
"So hopefully I find something on the putting green and then if I can get off to a good start in terms of holing putts on Saturday, hopefully that can feed through and I can go from there."
Steele, who opened with a sizzling 63, will head into the weekend with a two-shot lead after he mixed five birdies with three bogeys in an erratic 70.
Will Wilcox made a significant surge early on day two, keeping a bogey off his card while rolling in five birdies to set the early clubhouse target at nine under, a score later matched by Jhonattan Vegas, Graham DeLaet and rookie Harold Varner III.
Laird started at the 10th and was one over for the round until birdies at the fifth and ninth holes salvaged a 71, while American pair Russell Henley and Justin Thomas are also in the group at eight under.
Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel is among a large group of players alongside McIlroy on five under, while US Open winners Webb Simpson and Geoff Ogilvy were among those to miss the cut.
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