Rory McIlroy got 'found out' in brutal dig as Players Championship hopes left hanging in the balance

There was a hint that not all was well on Thursday as McIlroy found the water twice, but he would have fancied his chances of staying towards the top of the leaderboard on Friday.

But he ended the day eight shots off the lead in an erratic round that included five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

McIlroy declined to speak to the media post-round, choosing instead to head to the range to work on his game.

Riley was walking with McIlroy's group for part of the round and kept a close eye on the four-time major winner.

And the popular Aussie golf figure didn't hold back in his assessment on McIlroy's game.

"He didn't play very well today. It was probably one of the worst days I've ever seen Rory McIlroy play golf," Riley said on Sky Sports.

"It was a battle all day."

When asked what was the difference between the two rounds for McIlroy, Riley added: "Just enough wind to play havoc for Rory McIlroy.

"Yesterday when he shot that seven-under with a bogey and a double bogey so 10 birdies - that's incredible play.

"With no wind out there it was like throwing darts but today [Friday] the wind was there. You had to manoeuvre shots. A couple of times all of a sudden the body stopped and the arms kept going."

He added: "When you start to finesse seven irons when it's usually an eight iron and just start to chip shots in and weave your magic - become creative in the wind - you'll get found out with your swing, especially if you're looping it on the inside because your hands have to catch and most the time it's left."

Wyndham Clark was the overnight leader heading into the weekend having carded back-to-back rounds of 65.

The American has enjoyed a strong start to the 2024 season having won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am as well as finishing second at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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Clark heads into his third round four shots clear of the chasing pack with both Xander Schauffele and Nick Taylor in contention.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick is also within touching distance if he can find the kind of form Clark has shown through the first two rounds.

Webb Simpson, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard were some of the big names to miss the cut for the weekend.