Adam Scott's wonderful comeback from a long break continued to gather pace today at the World Golf Championship in Florida, while world No. 1 Rory McIlroy's fit of temper went viral on the internet.
Scott is outright third in the $9.25 million Cadillac Championship at Doral's Blue Monster course after a second-round 68, one of the best rounds of the day.
At six-under overall, he is three shots off the lead held by American JB Holmes, and right in the mix.
Scott last played a tournament at the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast, losing a playoff to Greg Chalmers on December 14, a gap approaching three months.
Since then he took time off at home on the Gold Coast while his wife, Marie Kojzar, delivered their first child, a daughter, Bo Vera.
It is rare for a professional player to take such a prolonged break from the game with the pressure to maintain rankings, but Scott is plainly in a great place.
He has played brilliantly on consecutive days at the Blue Monster, a brutal golf course with the holes carved between water hazards, one that has attracted criticism from the players this week.
Henrik Stenson called it "borderline stupid'' and he was not alone in his angst at the set-up. A total of 84 balls disappeared into water on Thursday and nearly everyone suffered today, including Holmes, who put four balls into the ponds and double-bogeyed the 18th hole.
McIlroy, who tossed his three iron into the hazard that guards the left side of the par-five eighth hole and immediately guaranteed for himself internet notoriety (and a fine from the PGA Tour).
The Northern Irishman had gone for the green with his second shot but tugged it into the water; he responded by hurling the club in with the ball, an unusual fit of anger for him. "It felt good at the time, but now I regret it,'' said McIlroy, who admitted the action was "not very 'role-modelish' of me.''
Scott only put one ball in the drink, on the par-four third hole where his approach drifted right, landed on the bank beside the green and trickled in. He had begun on the back nine, making four birdies including a nice one from five metres at the 17th. His only mistakes were the water ball on the third, and his failure to get up and down from a bunker at the fourth, where he made a second bogey. But his new Odyssey putter, traditional length, worked beautifully.
"I think today was a nice break after yesterday, but still, this course is so tough you've got to play really good golf to get around here under par out there,'' he said afterward. "I hit a lot of good shots today and made some putts, so at the moment, things are pretty rosy where I sit.''
Scott continued to play down the influence of the shorter putter after spending nearly four years using a broomstick putter. "It's a slight adjustment, not a lot. I putted 10 years of my career and my whole junior life with a shorter club and fortunately I didn't forget how to do it well. A couple of the longer ones, feel-wise is a little bit different, but (I) haven't done too badly, so hopefully I pick that up quickly and get it going.''
John Senden (one-under) is the best of the other Australians.
Meanwhile overnight leaders Adam Crawford and Oliver Goss lost the advantage in the web.com Tour's event in Colombia, although the second round was not completed because of bad weather.