LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- For Rory McIlroy, the shockingly bad shot came out of nowhere. No worries. By the time he walked off the 18th green, there was little doubt he was still the man to beat at the PGA Championship. McIlroy ripped off four straight birdies on the back side and closed with another at the 18th hole, shooting a 5-under 66 at Valhalla that left him one shot off the lead Thursday. Fridays second round coverage begins with live streaming on TSN.ca at 8:30am et/5:30am pt while TSNs coverage begins at 1pm et/10am pt. Coming off wins at the British Open and Firestone, McIlroy came into the final major of the year as an overwhelming favourite. Even with a major blunder at the 10th, where he knocked his second shot over a fence and took double bogey, he was right on the heels of Lee Westwood, Ryan Palmer and Kevin Chappell. "Im really happy with everything," McIlroy said. "Ive got a good thing going right now. Im trying to ride that momentum as much as I can." Then theres Tiger Woods, who cant seem to get anything going. Playing just four days after his back flared up at Firestone, forcing him to withdraw, Woods proclaimed himself fit but sprayed shots all over the course on the way to a 74 that left him tied for 111th late in the day. "That wasnt very good," said Woods, who made only one birdie -- and had to hole out from the fairway to do that. "A lot of bad shots." One landed in a creek. Another sent the gallery scrambling. Yet another rolled into a fenced-off area where fans can use cellphones, a good 30 yards right of the fairway. Too bad Woods couldnt call for help. "I didnt play as well as I wanted to. I didnt get a putt to the hole," he said. "Thats not a good combo." McIlroy was cruising along when he got to the 10th, having made three birdies on the front side. After putting his tee shot right in the middle of the fairway at the par-5 hole, he yanked the next one out of bounds. A man talking on his cellphone along the fence, not concerned at all with getting in the way, was stunned with he looked up to see a ball sailing over his head. Especially when he learned whose ball it was. "I was really annoyed," McIlroy said. "That second shot at 10 is the worst shot Ive hit in weeks. It came out of the blue." He took a penalty and a drop and missed the fairway with his next attempt as well, resulting in a 7. Still shaken by that miscue, McIlroy made bogey at No. 11 to slip to even on the day. Just like that, he pulled himself together. Four straight birdies pushed McIlroy right back up the leaderboard, and it could have easily been five in a row. A 12-footer slid over the edge of the cup at the 16th. At the final hole, McIlroy reached the green in two for an eagle try to share the lead. If curled off at the end, leaving him with a tap-in -- his eighth birdie of the round. "It could have been better," he said. "But a 66 the first day, thats a solid start." Westwood matched his best round ever at a major, making nine birdies as he carried over the momentum from a closing 63 at Firestone. The 41-year-old Englishman also had a double bogey on his 10th hole of day -- at No. 1, after starting on the back -- but closed with four straight birdies. "The golf course was all there in front of me. I just play it as I see it," said Westwood, who has had numerous close calls but never won a major championship. "Last week, I felt like I turned a corner." Chappell, a 28-year-old Californian in his fourth year on the PGA Tour, turned in a bogey-free round. The final major of the year has produced some unlikely champions -- remember Shaun Micheel? -- and Chappell hopes to be the latest. "I cant complain about being in the lead of any golf tournament," said Chappell, whose only professional win came on the Web.com Tour in 2010. "I just look forward to keeping it rolling." Palmer birdied five of the nine holes on the back side, which is where he started his round. He said the greens were more inviting than he expected. "I was surprised how soft they were," he said. "It was a pretty easy, relaxing nine for me." McIlroy was joined at 65 by Jim Furyk, Henrik Stenson, Edoardo Molinari and Chris Wood. For Furyk, it was another strong start in a tournament he nearly won a year ago. He took a lead to the final day at Oak Hill, only to lose to Jason Dufner by two strokes. Dufners title defence lasted only 10 holes. Plagued by a sore neck, he withdrew after a triple-bogey left his score at 8 over, probably ending his Ryder Cup hopes as well. He came in ranked No. 8 in the standings and hoping to somehow play well enough to stay in one of the nine qualifying spots. "I tried to do what I could to be able to compete some and give it a go," Dufner said, "but it is just pointless." Stitched Cowboys Jerseys . "I could have been equipment manager but nooooo" from Lisa on Ice. Season 6, Episode 8. Dallas Cowboys Shirts . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . LOUIS -- David Ross never expected to be on a World Series podium. Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop . The stakes were higher, the competition more fierce and the atmosphere was that of a playoff game - something the young, upstart Raptors have five weeks to better prepare themselves for or the result will be eerily similar. Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys . -- Houstons All-Star tandem of James Harden and Dwight Howard refused to let the Rockets give in to fatigue.BIRMINGHAM, England -- Former England midfielder Joe Cole signed a two-year deal with Aston Villa on Tuesday, giving him a chance to prolong his career with another Premier League club. The 32-year-old Cole joined the Birmingham club on a free transfer after being released by West Ham at the end of the season. "Im as excited now as I was as a 16-year-old lad going into my first season with West Ham," said Cole, who won three Premier League titles with Chelsea and earned 56 caps for England. Cole played a small part for the Hammers during his 18-month stint at the east London club. His last Premier League start was in a 3-3 draw against West Bromwich Albion in December. Prior to his return to West Ham, he had a successful loan spell at Lille after struggling to reignite his career with Liverpool in 2010.dddddddddddd "Ive been lucky enough to have a really good career but theres still a lot more I want to achieve," Cole said. "This is a massive club and theres a massive opportunity for the club to push on. That was the main factor." Cole is the second major signing this summer for manager Paul Lambert, who is trying to bolster a squad that has been on the verge of relegation the past two seasons. Former Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos joined Villa last week. Cole expects to play in central midfield for Villa, where he hopes help strikers Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann boost their production. "Having those fast players in attack and around me, I feel like I can supply them with the bullets and get them the ball in the final third," he said. ' ' '