The Players Championship: Rory McIlroy is on the cutoff mark as Xander Schauffele leads

Rory McIlroy is hoping a birdie on the final hole of his second round will be enough to go half way into the Players Championship.

The defending champion, who was among the top players on Friday, signed a one-under-par 71 to improve to one point in the tournament — which falls directly on the expected cut mark, with the top 65 playing in the final two rounds.

McIlroy, who said he was feeling “rusty” in the first round after several days without hitting a ball while recovering from a back injury, said he “hit the ball better” in the second round.

The world number two, who missed seven attempts to throw the ball from a distance of 20 feet, added, “I played well enough to top the leaderboard, and I was unable to drop the ball.”

“Hopefully I’ve done enough to get to the weekend and get two more days in.”

His playing partner Xander Schauffele set the club pace at 10 under with a scintillating round of 65 at TPC Sawgrass in Florida that included eight birdies and one bogey.

The two-time major winner hit every fairway in a brilliant display of ball striking.

“I was attacking the golf course versus playing defensively,” said the American, who has twice finished second in a PGA Tour major tournament.

“It’s always easy to be aggressive on the fairway and take advantage of the green being just a hair softer. But I think it’s slowly settling in.”

Schauffele is one step ahead of his American compatriot Cameron Young, who is nine years younger than he is after 67 years.

Canadian Corey Conners took just 30 shots in his first nine holes, including drilling a 102-yard wedge for an eagle three on the ninth, and also carded a 67 that moved him to eight under.

Jordan Spieth also made positive moves up the leaderboard with a string of five straight birdies midway through his round.

But he said his finish “smelled” after posting double bogey for the second day in a row. He described golf as a “strange game” after signing a 68 that left him at three.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, who had an uneven 72 in the first round, is among the later starters, along with England’s Tommy Fleetwood.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is also off the course and had three birdies and an eagle on the opening four holes to top the leaderboard.