McIlroy in a hole as putting deserts him

GOLF: Rory McIlroy has been cursing an ice-cold putter in sun-baked California after dropping off the pace at the Frys.com Open. McIlroy (above) reached the halfway point at five under par, six shots adrift of leader Brendan Steele. There has been little wrong with McIlroy’s ball striking but 59 putts in two rounds tells a story that he hopes doesn’t become more serious. ‘It’s a bit frustrating,’ said McIlroy. ‘I think it’s mental more than anything else. Whenever you don’t see anything go in, it makes it harder and harder each and every hole that goes by. ‘I don’t expect to hole everything but I expect to hole more than I am right now.’ McIlroy was hoping to hit the ground running after returning to action at the end of a season he had previously described as a ‘lost year’.