McIlroy said his back "feels pretty much there" after pulling out of last week's tournament with an injury
Rory McIlroy is hoping a birdie on the last hole of his second round will be enough for him to make the halfway cut at the Players Championship.
The defending champion, who was among the early starters on Friday, signed for a one-under-par 71 to improve to one over for the tournament - which is right on the projected cut mark, with the top 65 plus ties playing the final two rounds.
McIlroy, who said he was feeling "rusty" in round one after several days without hitting a ball as he recovered from a back injury, said he "hit the ball better" in round two.
"I played well enough to be up the leaderboard, I just couldn't get a putt to drop," added the world number two, who missed seven birdie attempts from inside 20 feet.
