• The Players Championship

I'm still in with a chance - Tiger

Tiger Woods is back in the hunt at Sawgrass © Getty Images

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Tiger Woods remains hopeful he can win The Players Championship after breaking 70 for the first time in 10 rounds.

The former world No. 1 was in danger of missing consecutive cuts for the first time in his career following his opening-round 74. However, Woods bounced back on Friday with a four-under 68 as he made a surge up the leaderboard in the middle of his round to ultimately trail the leaders by six strokes.

"I probably could have gotten one or two more out of (the round)," Woods said. "But I really played well today. I was just very consistent, and nothing spectacular, just real solid golf.

"I was trying to just keep plugging along. I ended up making four in a row there. And then at 12 I had just a little flip sand wedge in there and make par, and I thought I stuffed it there at 13. It was a foot or two from being a kick-in. It would have been a really nice stretch there.

"I was trying to shoot my number (66) today, and I thought that would put me four or five back. I figured that would have been a good way to go into the weekend, being probably four or five back. It would have put me four back. But I'm still in it with a good chance."

Rory McIlroy, though, will be watching the remainder of the tournament after he failed to make the cut. It is the third time McIlroy has missed out on the weekend's play at Sawgrass, but the Northern Irishman, who had rounds of 72 and 76 this year, refused to become frustrated by the situation.

"I just need to try and get the hang of this golf course somehow," said McIlroy. "I just find it pretty difficult. Off the tee I find pretty difficult around here. You have really got to position your ball in the fairway and to give yourself at least a chance to get to some of these pins. I just didn't do that over the last couple of days.

"I'll come back. I promise. I mean, hopefully I'm coming back here for another 20 years. If I don't figure it out on my 20th go, there's something wrong.

"Something about this place I just can't quite get to grips with. It's just a course that you have to figure out, and it's taken me a while. I'll come back next year and try to make it to the weekend.

"I've got a week off. I'll go back to Europe and get ready for Wentworth. But it's unbelievable. I shoot 14-under last week (at the Wells Fargo) and I feel like I hit it just the same this week, and I'm going home. It's just one of those things. But you know, I'm not getting down on myself about it. I played well last week, and I've got a big part of the season coming up and looking forward to that."

Prior to this year's Players Championship, McIlroy had gone 22 consecutive tournaments without missing the cut.

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