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PARAMUS, N.J. – Rory McIlroy maintained on Saturday that it isn’t a lack of preparation or focus that has failed to get him into serious contention at The Barclays, nor is he still wallowing in the spoils of his recent success.

Instead, he blamed it on one thing – his putting.

“I played similar to yesterday,” he said of a third-round 70 that came on the heels of a 65 one day earlier. “I just didn’t get a putt to drop. My speed has not been quite right all week, and yeah, I’ve just struggled a little bit with the speed on the greens. And when I’ve hit good putts, I’ve just not given enough break on either the speed I’ve hit it or I’ve hit it right in the middle or just short. I hit a couple putts like that today.”

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When it was suggested that he might be fatigued from a busy few weeks since winning three titles in a row, McIlroy disagreed with that notion.

“No, I don’t think so. I feel pretty fresh. I feel like my game is still in good shape. So fatigue, as long as I get enough rest and sleeping well at night, that’s OK for me. I think it’s just, I can’t put it down to anything else. I putted well yesterday but the first round, I didn’t putt well at all and then today I felt like I actually putted OK. Just nothing went in.”

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Rory McIlroy faded after a quick start Saturday at the Barclays, settling for a 1-under-par 70 that will leave him well behind the leaders entering the final round at Ridgewood Country Club.

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Rory McIlroy could have easily mailed it in after starting Friday outside the top 100 at the Barclays. After a bogey-free 65 in Round 2, he clearly has no plans to exit the playoff opener early, writes ESPN.com’s Bob Harig.

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An afternoon charge by Rory McIlroy came in conjunction with more steady play by Adam Scott, though it was Phil Mickelson’s theatrics just to get into weekend play that perhaps earned the crowd’s greatest enthusiasm Friday at The Barclays.

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Graeme McDowell strengthened his grip on an automatic Ryder Cup place with a second round 68 at The Barclays in New Jersey.

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Rory McIlroy recovers from a rusty start with a second-round 65 to ease into contention in the first of the four PGA Tour play-off events.

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PARAMUS, N.J. – Now that the majors are over, Adam Scott is going after the one big prize remaining this year – a shot at the $10 million FedEx Cup prize.

Scott ran off four straight birdies in the middle of his round and finished with a tap-in birdie Friday for a 6-under 65 to share the 36-hole lead with Cameron Tringale at The Barclays.

Scott is the defending champion at the first FedEx Cup playoff event. He won last year at Liberty National.

British Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy was nine shots better than his opening round, playing bogey-free for a 65. Not only did he make the cut, McIlroy suddenly is only five shots behind going into the weekend.

Phil Mickelson played a shot from the deck of a grandstand in a wild day that ended with a birdie to make the cut on the number.

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PARAMUS, N.J. – There was once a time – a long, long time ago; way back in early July – when the golf world was puzzled as to why Rory McIlroy just couldn’t seem to get his act together during Friday rounds.

That narrative has been swiftly erased, as McIlroy posted scores of 66-64-67 in his last three Friday rounds and followed with a 6-under 65 in the second round of The Barclays this time around.

“It was just a coincidence more than anything else,” he said of his Freaky Fridays. “I just played bad on that given day. It wasn’t anything to do with Friday or whatever it was.”

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This Friday round happened to be nine strokes better than his Thursday score, as McIlroy credited a strong range session following the opening round with his improved performance.

“The work that I did yesterday on the range really helped, just sort of got back into the rhythm and into the flow of things,” he said. “I knew that my game was there and I just needed to take advantage of the chances I was giving myself.”

McIlroy will enter the weekend five strokes off the lead in his bid to become the fifth player in PGA Tour history to win four consecutive starts.

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PARAMUS, N.J. – Bo Van Pelt had just the round he needed to start the FedEx Cup playoffs. Rory McIlroy could afford an off day, and he finally had one.

With no guarantee of playing beyond this week, Van Pelt combined a great start and a great finish for a 6-under 65 to take a one-shot lead Thursday at The Barclays. He is No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 advance to the next tournament.

McIlroy is the top seed after his amazing summer of winning two majors and a World Golf Championship. But the world’s No. 1 player showed the effects of taking a week off to celebrate. He had a 3-over 74, his worst start to a tournament in two months.

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Bo Van Pelt may have the first-round lead, but Hunter Mahan and Brendon Todd gave their Ryder Cup chances a boost Thursday at the playoff-opening Barclays. Here is the skinny on the first round at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. 

The leaderboard: Bo Van Pelt (-6); Jim Furyk, Brendon Todd, Hunter Mahan, Paul Casey, Cameron Tringale, Charles Howell III, Brendon de Jonge and Ben Martin at -5; Ryo Ishikawa, Ricky Barnes, Danny Lee and Russell Knox at -4

What it means: Though it’s an important week for all of the 122 players in the field, it’s especially so for players such as Todd and Mahan, who could move squarely onto the Ryder Cup radar with another solid week. Last week in Greensboro, Bill Haas, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker all stated their case. Now, it appears, it is Todd and Mahan’s turn. Todd birdied three of his last four holes to join the logjam at T-2. Mahan, meanwhile, is one of only three players (Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson) to play in every FedEx Cup event since the series started in 2007. At No. 62 in the standings, this start certainly helps that streak.   

Round of the day: Bo Van Pelt went birdie-eagle-par on his last three holes to seize the outright lead. It’s been a disappointing campaign for Van Pelt, but he has finished in the top 15 in two of his last three starts. At No. 104 in the FedEx Cup standings, he needed a good result just to prolong his season. 

Best of the rest: Outside the top 20 just once since March, Jim Furyk kept on rolling Thursday with a six-birdie 66. He has finished in the top 5 in three of his last four starts, a streak that includes two majors. Talk about karma. Last week Cameron Tringale phoned the PGA of America to disqualify himself from the PGA Championship because of a potential violation, thus forfeiting about $53,000 and valuable FedEx Cup points. The golf gods rewarded his gesture with a 66 to sit just one shot off the lead. Tringale matched his best finish of the season (fourth) last month at the Greenbrier. 

Biggest disappointment: After a sensational run over the past month, Rory McIlroy crashed down to earth Thursday with a 3-over 74 that he attributed to poor driving and a lack of preparation. It’s hard to blame the world No. 1 – who wouldn’t party in NYC after three wins in three starts? – but a missed cut in the playoff opener would take a bit of steam of his late-season surge. This was his first over-par round on Tour since the U.S. Open in June. Look for McIlroy to get back on track in the second round.

Main storyline heading into Day 2: At one point Thursday there were nine – nine! – players tied atop the leaderboard. Of all of the big-name players at 2 under or better – a group that includes Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Rose – which one will make a big move in the second round? 

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