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Rory McIlroy has hit out at the slow pokes on the PGA Tour and called for golf to get “a little tougher”. 

McIlroy carded a seven-under 65 in round two of the Players Championship to join Tommy Fleetwood at the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes at TPC Sawgrass. 

The duo are three shots clear of their nearest challengers Jim Furyk, Brian Harman, Ian Poulter and Abraham Ancer.

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However, despite being perfectly placed to make a title tilt this weekend, four-time major winner McIlroy was unhappy at the pace of play during round two.

“They don’t do anything about it,” said the 29-year-old. “It’s become somewhat of an epidemic on tour. 

Rory Mc Ilroy Slow Play 2

“Look, it’s our livelihoods, and people are going to take their time, and as the course dries up and gets firmer and gets tougher, guys are going to take their time. But the fact that someone didn’t finish yesterday because there wasn’t enough light to finish, that’s unacceptable.”

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McIlroy met the press five hours and forty minutes after his second round teed off and called on the powers-that-be to start taking action.

“I get that it can take five hours to play out there, but it shouldn’t take any over that,” he added. “Honestly, I think they should just being a little tougher and start penalising shots earlier, and that would be an easy way to fix it.


author headshot

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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