World No. 1 Rory McIlroy could breath a huge sigh of relief after signing for first sub-par round of the new season after signing for a three under par 69 on the second day of the WGC – Cadillac Championship in Miami.

McIlroy at last started showing some signs of the golf that earned nearly every conceivable award last season after winning a second Major Championship and ending 2012 as both the PGA Tour and European Tour leading money-earner.

“I’m in red numbers!” he prouldy said.

And what a differenc also a day makes with McIlroy on day one managing to hit only three of 14 fairways while he hit eight of 14 fairways in round two.

Rory McIlroy signing autographs after breaking par for a first time this season. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

“I had a couple three-putts but that’s not what I’m focused on right now. It’s about the ball-striking, and that part is getting there.”

The 23-year old’s second round on Doral’s Blue Monster was a mix of six birdies and three bogeys that left him lying still well down in a share of 32nd place at two under par.

McIlroy should have ended at three under par after missing a ‘makeable’ birdie at the last but a 69 is finally a step in the right direction, and especailly after the negative press he attracted a week ago at Palm Beach Gardens.McIlroy had arrived in Miami having missed the cut with a par of 75s in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then headed to Arizona to be bundled out in the opening round of the WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.

However in returning to stroke-play competition McIlroy carded a first round level par 72 on day one of his Honda Classic defence but then generated headlines for all the wrong reasons in walking off after crashing to seven over par after eight holes on day two.

But unlike previous rounds this year, McIlroy commenced day two with an opening hole birdie.

Wearing an Easyjet coloured shirt, McIlroy then dropped shots at the fourth and sixth holes, but soon bounced back with birdies at the three remaining par fives, the eighth, 10th and 12th holes.

However McIlroy heads into the third round of the $US 8.75m event a massive 11 shots behind fellow Nike staff player, Tiger Woods.

Woods, a six-time winner of the event, was seven under par for his round after 13 holes but then bogeyed the next.

The American then birdied 16 and ended with a pair of pars.

And Woods even was pleased for his new Nike stablemate remarking:  “Rory played all right today. He made some nice swings and holed a few putts. Certainly he’s trying to work his way through making some changes in his swing.

“It’s not easy, especially at this level on difficult courses. It’s tough. But he’s put in some time this past weekend, this past week, and you know, from what I can see, it certainly is improving. He still has got a lot of time until Augusta, so he’s on the right track.”