Majestic Rory leaves the pack in his wake

Rory McIlroy walked off last year but the 2014 Honda Classic was threatening to become a stroll in the park for the former world No 1.

The Holywood sensation marked the first anniversary of his infamous meltdown by coming back from a sloppy start to add a sizzling 66 to his opening 63 for a one-shot clubhouse lead over Zimbabwe’s Brendon de Jonge on 11 under par.

Now the challenge is to finish the job after failing to take advantage of fast starts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai earlier this year.