When Rory McIlroy dropped a shot on the 14th at Royal Melbourne, his tournament looked in tatters.

Still struggling to read the greens -- an issue that plagued him yesterday as well -- McIlroy couldn't find enough birdies to keep himself comfortable. His card was clean, bogey-free for much of the day, but it was also full of missed chances, his putts often edging the cup, some others left just short. It really was a 'nearly' day, and he spent most of it hovering precariously around the cut line.

The 36-year-old reached the back nine at one-under for the round after a front nine of one birdie and eight pars. Four more consecutive pars followed to begin his back nine, taking him into a scoreable stretch of the composite course featuring two par 5s and a par 3.

But instead of surging up th

See Full Page