PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Golf is starting to feel easy again for Rory McIlroy, who bounced back from a sloppy start Friday in the Honda Classic for a 4-under 66 that gave him his first 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour in 18 months. Tiger Woods is making it look hard. McIlroy recovered from two early bogeys by running off six birdies in a 10-hole stretch. He looked solid from tee-to-green, hit putts with growing confidence and wound up with a one-shot lead over Brendon de Jonge. "I knew that with the way Im playing and the confidence in my ability, I would be able to get those shots back," McIlroy said. "I didnt panic. I didnt try to do anything different. Just tried to keep playing the way I was." He was at 11-under 129. Woods felt fortunate to still be playing. He was over the cut line after scrambling for a bogey on the 11th hole and wound up with a 69 to make the cut on the number. Woods hit only two greens over his last nine holes. His lone birdie on the back nine was a chip-in on the 13th after he missed the green with a wedge. "It was a grind, theres no doubt about it," Woods said. "I didnt hit it very good. Just one of those days where I fought out a number, which was good." Because 79 players made the cut, there will be another cut to top 70 and ties on Saturday. Woods missed the 54-hole cut the last time he played on the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines. David Hearn (70) of Brantford, Ont., is tied for 23rd at 3 under. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., did not make the cut after shooting a 72 and a 70. Calgarys Stephen Ames was also out after a 73 and a 75. And at least hes still playing the weekend. That wasnt the case for Phil Mickelson. Playing the Honda Classic for the first time in 12 years, he had a 71 to miss the cut. So did Henrik Stenson, the No. 3 player in the world, with rounds of 73-76. McIlroy knew the feeling a year ago, when he took a steep fall from No. 1 in the world while changing equipment and trying to live up to high expectations, leading to his snap decision to walk off the course after 26 holes last year at the Honda Classic. A growing gallery in warm sunshine at PGA National saw a familiar game -- the McIlroy who won the Honda Classic two years ago. Swinging freely and putting beautifully, McIlroy hit his stride on his back nine with four birdies in five holes, including the par-5 third when he smashed a drive some 35 yards past Adam Scott and had only a 6-iron into the green on the 539-yard hole. De Jonge, who has never won on the PGA Tour, played early in the afternoon when the wind picked up and put eight birdies on his card in a 64. He was tied for the lead when he missed the green with a wedge on No. 9 and made bogey. Even so, hell be in the last group Saturday with McIlroy. "I think I might have got a little bit of switch in the wind," de Jonge said. Russell Henley had a 68 and was three shots behind. Russell Knox of Scotland had the low round Friday at 63 and was four shots back along with Lee Westwood (65). But the focus is clearly on McIlroy, who each week looks to be getting better. "This year is obviously a lot different," McIlroy said. "Got off to a good start. Im confident. Im playing well. This is the second straight tournament Ive opened with a 63, so if I can keep building on these good starts, then hopefully I can start converting." After a 63 in Dubai, he said he was pressing too much in the final round and wound up in a tie for ninth. Friday was another step in the right direction, despite two errant tee shots on the 11th and 12th holes that led to bogeys. His round changed with a tee shot into 6 feet on the 16th hole for a birdie, and then a 12-foot birdie on the 18th to wrap up his front nine and earn back the two shots he had dropped. After a 45-foot birdie attempt on the second hole rimmed all the way around and out of the cup, Boy Wonder took off. He two-putted the par-5 third. He hit a wedge into 4 feet on the next hole. He rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt down the hill at the par-5 fifth. Then, after a tough par save on the sixth, he sank another 30-foot birdie putt that McIlroy made look routine. The gallery is kept 100 yards from the green, so the only applause came from a few marshals. It sounded like a tap-in for par. McIlroy reacted that way, too. "Watching Rory play is amazing when hes swinging like this," Scott said after his own great recovery. The Masters champ put shots in the water on the 16th and 17th holes, both times making double bogey, and it looked as though his return to golf after a six-week break would be a short one. But the Australian ran off four birdies on the front nine for a 70. It will take a lot more to catch McIlroy, who has taken only 49 putts through two rounds. 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Jon - Westfield, MA Jon: Lets first ask Henrik Lundqvist what he thought of the scoring of the Sens second goal with . Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Womens Jersey . -- Canadian mens rugby coach Kieran Crowley has made four changes to his starting roster for Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup clash against the United States. Tom Waddle Womens Jersey .com) - Nicklas Backstrom scored a pair of goals and Alex Ovechkin notched a highlight-reel tally, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at the Prudential Center.NEW YORK -- Deron Williams confidence is sky high and hes taking the Brooklyn Nets along for the ride. With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. The Nets were trailing 85-82 midway through the fourth quarter following Josh McRoberts dunk and free throw. Thats when Williams took over. He hit a driving layup with 6:00 left, then a 3-pointer on the next possession. He followed that with a steal and two free throws to give the Nets an 89-85 lead with 5:22 remaining. The home team never trailed again in registering its 10th straight win at the Barclays Center. "My confidence is getting back. Thats a good thing for me," said Williams, who also had eight assists. "I tend to play well when my confidence is high. I just have to keep it there." Joe Johnson had 20 points for the Nets. Shaun Livingston finished with 17 and Andray Blatche had 13. Thornton and Mason Plumlee each had 11. "He (Williams) has been clutch the last month or so," Plumlee said. "Hes made a lot of big plays in some of these wins. He has more bounce to his step." Al Jefferson led Charlotte with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Gary Neal added 17 points. After Williams streak put the Nets ahead, the Bobcats managed to pull within 97-95 on Neals 3-pointer with 1:33 left. After Paul Pierce hit a free throw with 1:18 remaining, Kemba Walker missed on a 3-point attempt and Williams followed with a foul line jumper with 37 seconds left to give the Nets a 100-95 lead. "Deron took control of the game and made plays on both ends," coach Jason ;Kidd said.dddddddddddd"Hes making all the right basketball plays and not settling." After Shaun Livingston hit a free throw with 21 seconds, Neal hit another 3-pointer to bring the Bobcats to within 101-98 with 17 seconds left. Then Williams hit two more free throws with 16 seconds remaining to help clinch the win. "I took what the defence game me," Williams said. "They made their run and we needed to make one back. I just happened to be a big part of that, but it could have been any of us." The Nets took their biggest lead of the game at 38-25 on Marcus Thorntons 3-pointer with 8:19 left in the first half. The Bobcats began the game on a 6-0 run, their largest lead of the night. The Nets finished the game with only seven turnovers, tied for their lowest this season. The Bobcats committed 15, five in the fourth quarter. "Turnovers were the biggest difference in the game," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "We had a couple of unforced ones late that were at key times." Chris Douglas-Roberts and Gerald Henderson scored 13 points each for the Bobcats. Cody Zeller had 10. "Thats the Deron were used to seeing," Blatche said. "His confidence is high. Hes playing great and carrying this team." NOTES: The Nets havent lost at home since Jan. 31 against Oklahoma City . Brooklyns home winning streak is longest current streak in the NBA and is the franchises longest since the New Jersey Nets won 12 straight Dec. 16, 2005-Feb. 8, 2006 . Brooklyn has beaten Charlotte nine of the last 10 meetings, with the Bobcats only victory during that span coming on Nov. 20, 2013. Before that, Charlotte hadnt won in the series since April 11, 2011. ' ' '