Unless your first name is Rory, it’s time to pack up at the Honda Classic.
2014 Honda Classic leaderboard: Rory McIlroy charges to 1st round lead
Tiger’s Nike stablemate has made a move in the afternoon at PGA National, looking much more like the guy who won here two years ago than the one who quit last season.
Sam Greenwood
The afternoon wave is now out on the course at PGA National, and Rory McIlroy is the big name making a move, pulling even with morning clubhouse leader Rory Sabbatini at 5-under. McIlroy has quite the history at this event, with polar opposite results in Palm Beach the last two years. In 2012, he held off a Sunday charge and round of 62 from Tiger Woods to win the Honda and become the No. 1 player in the world. Last year, with new Nike sticks in the bag and a slew of off-the-course problems distracting him, McIlroy gave up, walking off the course and withdrawing with what he later excused as wisdom tooth problem.
McIlroy instantly apologized for that walk-off, and had to re-hash it all again this week. This year, Rory has switched up some of the Nike equipment in his bag and comes into the week in good form. He played solid in the fall and during a series of events over in Asia at the end of the 2013. He finally broke through for a win in December, edging Adam Scott at the Australian Open as the Masters champ tried to close down the Aussie triple crown. Rory then carried that over to this year and looked good in two starts in the Middle East, one of which he should have won at Abu Dhabi.
So Rory is a long way from last year’s debacle, both in form and mentally, and through his first 14 holes, he’s looking like the guy who won it here two years. He has yet to make a bogey, and three straight birdies to start his inward nine have pushed him into a tie with Sabbatini and two others. The highlight of the three-hole birdie stretch was this bomb from 45 feet at the 11th (via PGATour.com)
As all the big stars have stated this week, the Florida swing is the beginning of a month of Masters prep and Rory appears to be on a much better track this year.
UPDATE: McIlroy kept it rolling coming into the house, adding birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 for an inward 30 on the back nine. He’s at 7-under and in sole possession of the lead with a few chasers still having a couple holes to play.
Here’s a look at leaderboard with the afternoon wave still out on the course.
| Place | Player | Score | Thru |
| T1 | Rory Sabbatini | -5 | F |
| T1 | William McGirt | -5 | F |
| T1 | Rory McIlroy | -5 | 14 |
| T1 | Mark Wilson | -5 | 12 |
| T1 | Russell Henley | -5 | 11 |
| T6 | Brendon de Jonge | -4 | F |
| T6 | Derek Ernst | -4 | F |
| T6 | Tommy Gainey | -4 | F |
| T6 | Brice Garnett | -4 | F |
| T6 | Tyrone Van Aswegen | -4 | 14 |
| T11 | Luke Donald | -3 | F |
| T11 | Zach Johnson | -3 | F |
| T11 | Will MacKenzie | -3 | F |
| T11 | Luke Guthrie | -3 | F |
| T11 | Brian Harman | -3 | F |
| T11 | Hudson Swafford | -3 | F |
| T11 | Jamie Donaldson | -3 | 16 |
| T11 | Adam Scott | -3 | 13 |
| T11 | Ken Duke | -3 | 12 |
| T11 | Mark Calcavecchia | -3 | 11 |
| T21 | Padraig Harrington | -2 | F |
| T21 | James Driscoll | -2 | F |
| T21 | Troy Merritt | -2 | F |
| T21 | Nicholas Thompson | -2 | 17 |
| T21 | Boo Weekley | -2 | 14 |
| T21 | Trevor Immelman | -2 | 11 |
| T21 | Ryan Palmer | -2 | 10 |
| T21 | Matt Every | -2 | 10 |
| T21 | David Hearn | -2 | 10 |
| T21 | Matteo Manassero | -2 | 10 |
| T21 | John Peterson | -2 | 9 |
| T31 | Thomas Bjorn | -1 | F |
| T31 | Ben Crane | -1 | F |
| T31 | David Lynn | -1 | F |
| T31 | Martin Flores | -1 | F |
| T31 | Chris Kirk | -1 | F |
| T31 | Vijay Singh | -1 | F |
| T31 | Keegan Bradley | -1 | F |
| T31 | Stuart Appleby | -1 | F |
| T31 | Lucas Glover | -1 | F |
| T31 | Kenny Perry | -1 | F |
| T31 | Freddie Jacobson | -1 | F |
| T31 | Jeff Overton | -1 | F |
| T31 | Seung-Yul Noh | -1 | F |
| T31 | Brendan Steele | -1 | F |
| T31 | James Hahn | -1 | F |
| T31 | David Lingmerth | -1 | 17 |
| T31 | Nicholas Thompson | -1 | 16 |
| T31 | Daniel Summerhays | -1 | 15 |
| T31 | Chris Stroud | -1 | 15 |
| T31 | Angel Cabrera | -1 | 14 |
| T31 | Rickie Fowler | -1 | 13 |
| T31 | George McNeill | -1 | 11 |
| T31 | Jhonattan Vegas | -1 | 11 |
| T31 | Lee Westwood | -1 | 11 |
| T31 | Robert Allenby | -1 | 11 |
| T31 | Paul Casey | -1 | 10 |
| T31 | Ricky Barnes | -1 | 10 |
| T31 | Jason Millard | -1 | 8 |
| T59 | Hideki Matsuyama | E | F |
| T59 | Andres Romero | E | F |
| T59 | Thorbjorn Olesen | E | F |
| T59 | Jason Bohn | E | F |
| T59 | Harrison Frazar | E | F |
| T59 | Woody Austin | E | F |
| T59 | Scott Langley | E | F |
| T59 | J.B. Holmes | E | F |
| T59 | Tim Wilkinson | E | F |
| T59 | Alan Morin | E | F |
| T59 | Josh Teater | E | 16 |
| T59 | Steven Bowditch | E | 15 |
| T59 | D.A. Points | E | 14 |
| T59 | Retief Goosen | E | 14 |
| T59 | Nick Watney | E | 14 |
| T59 | Charles Howell III | E | 14 |
| T59 | Phil Mickelson | E | 13 |
| T59 | Graeme McDowell | E | 12 |
| T59 | Peter Hanson | E | 9 |
| T59 | Chesson Hadley | E | 9 |
| T59 | Jamie Lovemark | E | 8 |
| T59 | Derek Fathauer | E | 8 |
| T81 | John Rollins | 1 | F |
| T81 | Jeff Maggert | 1 | F |
| T81 | Morgan Hoffmann | 1 | F |
| T81 | Camilo Villegas | 1 | F |
| T81 | Jerry Kelly | 1 | F |
| T81 | Patrick Reed | 1 | F |
| T81 | Geoff Ogilvy | 1 | F |
| T81 | Tiger Woods | 1 | F |
| T81 | Ted Potter, Jr. | 1 | F |
| T81 | Kyle Stanley | 1 | F |
| T81 | Brendon Todd | 1 | F |
| T81 | Spencer Levin | 1 | 17 |
| T81 | Jason Kokrak | 1 | 17 |
| T81 | Charlie Wi | 1 | 16 |
| T81 | Erik Compton | 1 | 16 |
| T81 | Stephen Gallacher | 1 | 15 |
| T81 | Scott Brown | 1 | 14 |
| T81 | Heath Slocum | 1 | 14 |
| T81 | Stewart Cink | 1 | 12 |
| T81 | Davis Love III | 1 | 12 |
| T81 | Justin Hicks | 1 | 11 |
| T81 | John Senden | 1 | 10 |
| T81 | Sean O'Hair | 1 | 10 |
| T81 | Russell Knox | 1 | 10 |
| T81 | Jesper Parnevik | 1 | 9 |
| T81 | Mark Silvers | 1 | 8 |
| T81 | Brooks Koepka | 1 | 8 |
| T108 | Charlie Beljan | 2 | F |
| T108 | Johnson Wagner | 2 | F |
| T108 | Martin Kaymer | 2 | F |
| T108 | Tim Clark | 2 | F |
| T108 | Sergio Garcia | 2 | F |
| T108 | Carl Pettersson | 2 | F |
| T108 | Greg Chalmers | 2 | F |
| T108 | Jose Coceres | 2 | F |
| T108 | Tim Herron | 2 | F |
| T108 | Chad Collins | 2 | 17 |
| T108 | Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano | 2 | 15 |
| T108 | Mike Weir | 2 | 12 |
| T108 | Y.E. Yang | 2 | 12 |
| T108 | Cameron Tringale | 2 | 10 |
| T108 | Brian Stuard | 2 | 10 |
| T108 | Jim Renner | 2 | 9 |
| T108 | Billy Hurley III | 2 | 8 |
| T125 | Bo Van Pelt | 3 | F |
| T125 | Henrik Stenson | 3 | F |
| T125 | Ben Curtis | 3 | F |
| T125 | John Merrick | 3 | F |
| T125 | Roberto Castro | 3 | F |
| T125 | Peter Uihlein | 3 | F |
| T125 | D.H. Lee | 3 | 16 |
| T125 | Stephen Ames | 3 | 16 |
| T125 | Billy Horschel | 3 | 14 |
| T125 | Matt Jones | 3 | 10 |
| T125 | Jason Allred | 3 | 9 |
| T136 | Brian Davis | 4 | F |
| T136 | Charl Schwartzel | 4 | F |
| T136 | Robert Garrigus | 4 | 17 |
| T136 | Michael Thompson | 4 | 11 |
| T140 | Ryo Ishikawa | 6 | F |
| T140 | J.J. Henry | 6 | F |
| T140 | Troy Matteson | 6 | 15 |
| 143 | Darren Clarke | 7 | F |
| 144 | Briny Baird | 9 | F |
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