He is the top player in a field that is weak by Quail Hollow standards.
The 2017 PGA Championship will be played at Quail Hollow for the first time.
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Following the pair around the Quail Hollow course in Charlotte, it was obvious they share a tight bond.
"We come to Quail Hollow and they're for me probably the best greens on tour, usually, " McIlroy said.
One reason for the shortage of big names that usually show up at Quail Hollow might be the condition of the golf course.
Woods decided last week not to play, presumably because he forgot there were only two weeks between the Masters and Quail Hollow, a change in the schedule this year.
Allenby took issue with a memo from PGA Tour officials that warned players of four bad greens at Quail Hollow, with the rest of them typical of tour greens.
Woods' recent performances have highlighted another part of his game that needs work: his putting -- having needed 33 in the second round at Quail Hollow, and also struggling in finishing 40th at Augusta.
The Englishman was two shots behind a group of four tied for second, including last weekend's Quail Hollow winner Rickie Fowler, Texas Open champion Ben Curtis, 2007 Masters victor Zach Johnson and Scotland's Martin Laird.
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Quail Hollow champion Rickie Fowler also shot 69 to be third on five-under 211, one ahead of Woods, while Japan's Ryo Ishikawa was tied for fifth on 213 with Sweden's Henrik Stenson and American Jonathan Byrd.
Quail Hollow has been a symbol of perfection for 10 years since it returned to the PGA Tour lineup, a beautifully manicured golf course where the six major champions who have won ranged from Tiger Woods to McIlroy.
While Woods ended a 30-month wait for a PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, he then struggled to maintain that form as he finished 40th at the Masters, missed the cut at Quail Hollow and then tied for 40th at the Players Championship.
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