PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rory McIlroy left before his round was even over. Tiger Woods had to rally just to stick around.

And with all that drama Friday in the Honda Classic, hardly anyone noticed that Luke Guthrie showed off his potential in a big way with a 7-under 63 to take a one-shot lead going into the weekend at PGA National.

Guthrie, pegged by many of his peers as a rookie worth watching going into the year, played bogey-free on another cool, cloudy day.

Of his seven birdies, perhaps the most impressive for the Big Ten champion from Illinois came on the sixth hole when he had mud on the side of his ball and was able to work the shot in from the right to about 10 feet.

After finishing his round, he walked into an interview room when someone mentioned that McIlroy walked off the course after being 7-over par through eight holes.

“I had no clue,” Guthrie said. “I was just kind of going about my business out there.”

He was at 9-under 131 and had a one-shot lead over Michael Thompson.

McIlroy, who missed the cut in Abu Dhabi and lost in the first round of the Match Play Championship in his previous two starts, made a double bogey on his second hole and rinsed two balls in the water on the 16th hole on his way to a triple bogey.

He hit his approach to the 18th in the water and never finished the hole.

He shook hands with Ernie Els and Mark Wilson and was on his way, but not before conflicting messages.

McIlroy told three reporters who followed him to his car that it was nothing physical but that he was “not in a good place mentally.”

An hour later, he released a statement through his management company that he couldn’t concentrate because of a sore wisdom tooth.

Woods looked as if he might join him. After mixing birdies with bogeys, Woods went bunker-to-bunker, over the green, short of the green and wound up with a double bogey on the 13th hole that put him one shot under the cut line with five holes to play.

Instead of the second straight week when No. 1 and No. 2 were gone early, Woods answered with a shot into 5 feet for birdie, a 6-foot par putt on the 16th hole, a par save from the back bunker on the 17th that was easier than it looked, and a par save from near the grandstand by the 18th green that was harder than it looked.

He wound up with another 70 to make the cut on the number, nine shots out of the lead.

“I didn’t quite have my game like I did yesterday,” Woods said. “I hit it much better yesterday, but I putted better today, so it all evened out.”

Also having a tough time was tennis star Serena Williams, following in Woods’ large gallery. She took a picture of the 14-time major champion after his tee shot on the 17th and was scolded by security. The PGA Tour does not allow photos on competition days.

“Apparently u can’t take pics. This security ... yelled at me,” she tweeted.

A few minutes later, she posted the photo. And she finished with one last tweet: “In my Defense peeps always take pics of tennis players.”

There was no reason to get a snapshot of Camilo Villegas, who joined a dubious list of PGA Tour players who went from worst-to-first. Villegas, playing primarily on sponsor exemptions this year because he lost his full status, opened with a 64 for his best start in more than a year.

The Colombian was 13 shots worse on Friday in a round of 77 that caused him to miss the cut. The last player to do that was Jim Renner at the Travelers Championship in 2011.

Thompson had a 65 and will play in the final group with Guthrie, the first time all year the PGA Tour will have twosomes on the weekend.

Boo Weekley held it together for another day and shot 67 to finish two shots behind at 133, along with Graham DeLaet of Canada.

Behind them was an impressive collection of players.

Geoff Ogilvy finally began holing some putts and shot 66 to go into the weekend three shots behind, along with Lee Westwood (68), Charles Howell III (67), Sean O’Hair (68) and Justin Rose (66). Ogilvy had not made a cut in his past four tournaments, dating to his season opener in the California desert.

“The worst I’ve hit the ball was today,” he said. “You chip in, hole a couple of long putts ... it’s amazing how different it is when you hole good putts.”

This is a big weekend for the likes of Ogilvy and Howell, neither of whom is in the Masters. They have to win or move into the top 50 by the end of the month.

For players such as Guthrie, Thompson, DeLaet and Weekley, they are too far down in the ranking that only a win would get them down Magnolia Lane.

The road to the Masters suddenly looks like an uphill climb for McIlroy.

Nike introduced him with blaring music and a laser show in Abu Dhabi, but it’s been all downhill from there.

In three tournaments, he has missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, lost in the first round of the Match Play Championship and withdrew after 26 holes at PGA National.

“His demeanor looks a little different,” said Graeme McDowell, one of his best friends. “I felt like he was a little off with his golf swing on the range. There were a few moans and groans coming from the bay next to me. It’s normally a display. It’s normally a clinic. It’s superlatives coming from the coach and the caddie. That’s the sign of a guy who’s lacking a little technique in his swing and a little belief in his game.”

In the parking lot, McIlroy was asked three times if anything was wrong physically and he said no. Golfweek magazine reported he was near tears.

“There’s not really much I can say, guys,” McIlroy said. “I’m not in a good place mentally, you know?”

Then came the statement that it was his wisdom tooth, an apology to the Honda Classic for withdrawing, and hope that his game is about to turn the corner.

McIlroy, whose manners have been as impeccable as his swing since turning pro, faced criticism for his behavior for the first time in his career.

And while he couldn’t wait to get off the course, this much probably didn’t cross his mind. By quitting in the middle of a round, he is ineligible for the Vardon Trophy he won last year for having the lowest scoring average of the PGA Tour.

HONDA CLASSIC SCORES

Friday

Second Round

Luke Guthrie 68-63—131

Michael Thompson 67-65—132

Boo Weekley 66-67—133

Graham DeLaet 65-68—133

Lee Westwood 66-68—134

Geoff Ogilvy 68-66—134

Doug LaBelle II 66-68—134

Charles Howell III 67-67—134

Sean O’Hair 66-68—134

Justin Rose 68-66—134

Graeme McDowell 67-68—135

Robert Streb 65-70—135

Brian Stuard 66-69—135

Nicholas Thompson 69-66—135

Lucas Glover 69-66—135

Tom Gillis 67-68—135

Billy Horschel 66-69—135

Daniel Summerhays 69-67—136

Chris Kirk 68-68—136

Keegan Bradley 68-68—136

Rickie Fowler 65-71—136

Jeff Klauk 67-69—136

Branden Grace 65-71—136

James Driscoll 69-68—137

Ross Fisher 71-66—137

Cameron Percy 71-66—137

Dustin Johnson 66-71—137

Martin Kaymer 71-66—137

Chris Stroud 67-70—137

Erik Compton 69-68—137

Kevin Stadler 67-71—138

Jeff Overton 67-71—138

Bob Estes 69-69—138

Gary Woodland 68-70—138

Mark Wilson 70-68—138

Ryan Palmer 69-69—138

D.A. Points 67-71—138

Brendon de Jonge 70-68—138

Charl Schwartzel 70-68—138

Marc Leishman 69-69—138

Peter Hanson 71-67—138

Fabian Gomez 66-72—138

Hank Kuehne 67-72—139

Stewart Cink 68-71—139

Brian Gay 67-72—139

Ernie Els 69-70—139

Freddie Jacobson 70-69—139

Y.E. Yang 67-72—139

Greg Chalmers 68-71—139

Jamie Donaldson 73-66—139

Darron Stiles 71-68—139

Ben Kohles 66-73—139

Vaughn Taylor 71-68—139

Kevin Streelman 71-68—139

Kyle Stanley 70-69—139

Jason Dufner 69-70—139

Russell Henley 68-71—139

George McNeill 71-68—139

Brendan Steele 72-67—139

Ben Crane 70-69—139

Retief Goosen 72-67—139

Jason Bohn 70-69—139

Justin Hicks 71-68—139

Steven Bowditch 70-69—139

Nicolas Colsaerts 69-71—140

Brandt Jobe 69-71—140

Scott Stallings 74-66—140

Brad Fritsch 68-72—140

Patrick Reed 67-73—140

Steve Marino 71-69—140

David Lynn 72-68—140

Tiger Woods 70-70—140

Trevor Immelman 73-67—140

Matt Jones 67-73—140

Matteo Manassero 73-67—140

Failed to qualify

Dicky Pride 70-71—141

Camilo Villegas 64-77—141

Ted Potter, Jr. 69-72—141

Ken Duke 71-70—141

Troy Kelly 70-71—141

Seung-Yul Noh 66-75—141

Harris English 70-71—141

Charlie Beljan 71-70—141

Henrik Stenson 73-68—141

Ben Curtis 70-71—141

Mike Weir 71-70—141

Sang-Moon Bae 72-69—141

Andres Romero 75-67—142

Roberto Castro 72-70—142

Joey Snyder III 69-73—142

Robert Allenby 72-70—142

Will Claxton 71-71—142

Chez Reavie 70-72—142

David Hearn 69-73—142

Bud Cauley 73-69—142

Stephen Ames 73-69—142

Kevin Na 70-72—142

John Merrick 72-70—142

Jonas Blixt 70-72—142

Casey Wittenberg 74-68—142

Martin Flores 70-73—143

John Huh 69-74—143

Wes Short, Jr. 69-74—143

Chad Campbell 74-69—143

Matt Every 69-74—143

Justin Leonard 72-71—143

Stuart Appleby 71-72—143

Ricky Barnes 71-72—143

David Lingmerth 69-74—143

Michael Bradley 71-73—144

Brian Harman 74-70—144

Troy Matteson 73-71—144

Richard H. Lee 72-72—144

Paul Scaletta 74-70—144

Jason Kokrak 72-72—144

Martin Laird 71-73—144

Rory Sabbatini 69-75—144

Luke List 72-72—144

James Hahn 71-73—144

Jerry Kelly 72-73—145

Colt Knost 72-73—145

Johnson Wagner 71-74—145

Louis Oosthuizen 69-76—145

Scott Langley 72-73—145

William McGirt 76-70—146

Tag Ridings 73-73—146

Scott Gardiner 70-76—146

Cameron Tringale 71-75—146

Greg Owen 73-73—146

Lee Williams 73-73—146

Alexander Noren 75-72—147

Ryo Ishikawa 75-73—148

David Duval 78-70—148

Jesper Parnevik 72-76—148

Jeff Maggert 73-75—148

J.B. Holmes 70-78—148

Tommy Gainey 73-76—149

John Mallinger 74-75—149

Tim Herron 75-74—149

Paul Casey 78-77—155

David Mathis 79-79—158

Rory McIlroy 70—WD

Brian Davis 78—WD