By Zak Kozuchowski

GolfWRX Managing Editor

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Rory McIlroy this season, it’s to never count him out.

McIlroy leads the Deutsche Bank Championship field after two rounds of 65s at TPC Boston, giving him a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s third round of the tournament.

Golf fans watched with anticipation last week at The Barclays as McIlroy and Tiger Woods played together in the first two rounds of the tournament by virtue of their top rankings in the FedExCup points list. McIlroy, golf’s heir apparent to Woods’ throne, had slumped for a stretch during 2012, but the Northern Irishman was fresh off his win of the PGA Championship just weeks earlier that brought a new level of excitement to the pairing.

But neither McIlroy nor Woods hit the mark last week. Woods shone in Rounds 1 and 2 at Bethpage Black, only to falter on the weekend, while McIlroy played mediocre golf throughout the tournament. McIlroy finished at 1-under for a T24 finish, while Woods slid all the way into a tie for 38th place at 1-over after a round of 76 on Sunday.

But as it so often happens, the cream has risen to the top this week in the Tour’s Playoffs for the FedExCup, with McIroy and Woods only separated by two shots going into the final two rounds of Tour’s second playoff event.

Also in the mix Sunday and Monday (remember, it’s a Monday finish) is 2010 British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen at 11-under, Ryan Moore, who is tied for third with Woods at 10-under, and four players tied for fifth place at 9-under — 21-year-old Seung-Yul Noh, Jason Dufner, Chris Kirk, Charl Swartzel and D.A. Points.

Round 3 action begins on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Golf Channel with NBC picking up coverage from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Final-round coverage is on Golf Channel from 11:30 a.m. to 1: 30 p.m., with NBC picking up coverage from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.