A final hole bogey has put extra pressure on World No. 1 Rory McIlroy to make the cut in the defence of his Honda Classic title.
Once again McIlroy’s long game was not as laser like as he would have liked and it was only his short game that kept him from posting an over par score.
McIlroy was one under par playing the last but after finding the rough with his drive he also put his approach shot into the rough behind the green before eventually walking off with a bogey ‘6’ in a round of a level par 70 and the same score as World No. 2 Tiger Woods.
Between McIlroy and Woods the world’s top two golfers could manage just four birdies.
“I felt today that my golf game is closer than it has been,” said McIlroy.
“It still would have been nice to shoot a lower number and it was possible to do that but I just didn’t play the last hole all that well but there was enough positive signs out there to be at least partially satisfied with my game going into the next few days.
“There is still a lot of work to be done and I know that and while I hit a lot of good shots out there, there is still a lot of room for improvement and a lot of room to work on my swing.”
And McIlroy admitted the biggest issue in his game now is ‘consistency’.
“Yes consistency, and I guess hitting two good shots that are similar and that’s the sort of thing I am trying to go, as I would hit one good shot but then I would play a poor shot,” he said.
“It’s okay but I feel as though I can definitely level up a bit and with just a bit of practice and some more play, hopefully I can do that.”
However the Northern Irishman had already taken 21 putts through his first dozen holes and hadn’t made anything over 5 feet so far.
Columbian Camilo Villegas storms home to take the lead with a 64 on the first day of the Honda Classic. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)
His earlier bogey came on the par-4 sxith, where he missed the green from the right rough then missed his par putt from just outside 8 feet.
McIlroy bounced back three holes later, however, hitting his approach to 4 feet on the par-4 ninth before sinking the putt for birdie.
At the late stage of the first day of the $6m event McIlroy was sharing 40th place in playing the 18th but walked off to be then tied for 62nd and right on the cut-off mark.
McIlroy teed up on the West Palm Beach Gardens course under enormous pressure after missing the cut in his opening 2013 event in Abu Dhabi and then being unceremoniously bundled out in the first round of last week’s WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.
The 23-year old’s opening round in this year’s Honda Classic was mix of two birdies and two bogeys and was six shots more than his first round to victory last year.
It left him trailing six shots behind 2010 Honda Classic winner Camilo Villegas who returned to good form with a six under par 64.
Villegas, who turned pro in 2004, won twice in 2008 including the prestigious Tour Championship but then had to wait two years before winning the Honda Classic.
The Columbian was one under par after 12 holes but stormed home to play the remaining six holes in five under par including birding 17 and then eagling the last.
