PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rory McIlroy did something after his Honda Classic second round Friday that would have gotten Tiger Woods publicly skewered had he done the same.
McIlroy, who shot his second consecutive 2-over-par 72 to stand at 4-over par and missed the cut, brusquely refused interview requests.
When he was finished with his round, McIlroy blew past inquiring reporters, saying only, “No.”
For a player who has displayed his share of class in the face of some rough moments, it was an unfortunate and uncharacteristically immature way for McIlroy to depart en route to his Palm Beach Gardens home, which is a 10-minute drive from the course.
McIlroy has had a love-hate relationship with PGA National. He won the Honda Classic in 2012 and elevated to the No. 1 ranking in the world for the first time. But the following year, playing poorly, he quit in the middle of his second round with a supposed tooth ache.
McIlroy then had a chance to win in 2014, but blew it with a final-round 74, losing in a playoff. Friday’s missed cut was his second in a row in this tournament.
On Friday, the par-3s were his undoing. He carded a triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 fifth hole and doubled the par-3 15th. For his two rounds, McIlroy had a triple, two doubles and six bogeys — sloppy golf coming off a poor final round at Riviera last week, when he was in contention.
Phil Mickelson, who began the day 1-under, struggled to a second-round 74 to make the cut on the number at 3-over. The round marked the first time Mickelson has gone an entire 18 holes without carding a birdie since the opening round of last year’s WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral.
“I hit 15 greens and didn’t make a single birdie, and that was frustrating,” he said. “I don’t think I hit it as close as I probably needed to. I thought I hit some pretty good putts, they just didn’t go in.”
Within minutes late Friday, Ernie Els and Paul Casey each drained a clutch 8-foot putt on their respective final holes to get in at 3-over to make the cut.
Daniel Berger, from nearby Jupiter, Fla. who lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff last year, failed to make the cut, finishing 5-over. Harrington, at 1-over, finished comfortably inside the cut line, as did U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, who is at even-par.
PGA Tour officials said Jason Bohn suffered a mild heart attack after his round and has withdrawn from the tournament.
The tour said Bohn complained of chest pains after his round and went to see a medical staff at PGA National. He was taken by ambulance to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, where tests revealed a mild heart attack.
Bohn was staying in the hospital overnight until more tests Saturday. He was in stable condition.
His wife’s parents were with Bohn at the hospital.
— with AP