Austin, TX ..
New World No. 2 Rory McIlroy says he’ll climb back on the horse this week in Texas and hopeful it’s not third round mule ahead of this weeks WGC – Dell Match-Play Championship.
Sixty-four players will tee-up on Wednesday and with McIlroy joined by fellow Irishman Shane Lowry competing along the banks of the Colorado River in Austin.
McIlroy faces 2015 Irish Open winner Soren Kjeldsen in the first of 32 three round robin encounters on the Austin Country Club course.
And the last thing McIlroy needs in this his last event before the Masters is to be bundled out in the three-day round robin matches.
McIlroy arrived in Austin on Monday after yet another disappointment and this time in sharing fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
His only comfort was moving back to World No. 2 for a first time since finishing runner-up nearly two months ago in the South African Open.
Aussie Marc Leishman ended a near five-year winless drought, and also after losing out in a play-off at the 2015 Open Championship, to win by a shot after coming from one shot behind in eagling the 16th to one clear of McIlroy and two others who were also tied for the lead at the time.
Then after a booming 314 yard drive, McIlroy had just 148 yards to the flag but failed to get his second close and leaving him staring at a 3O footer.
However McIlroy not only missed his birdie attempt that would have more than likely sent the event into a play-off, he missed the seven-footer coming back for par that would have handed him a tie for second.
The result was McIlroy’s fourth top-7 finish in as many events this year and taking his PGA Tour career earnings in just three events this year to $33,533 short of $US1m.
His all-time PGA Tour careers has broken through the $US35m barrier by just over $60,000.
As well, it’s was McIlroy’s 57th top-10 in 120 PGA Tour counting events in his career with 13 of those a victory, 10 either second or third and the remaining 34 placed fourth to 10th.
But that all means nothing to McIlroy as he strives to piece together every single piece of the jig-saw ahead of the April 6th starting Masters.
“I struggled the first two days at Bay Hill but I did find it a little bit on the weekend and it’s just nice to get to play again and get to feel like you’re playing a run of events, and looking forward to getting to Austin and getting back on the horse at the Match Play,” he said.
“It’s a different format this week, but you’re still competing, it’s still a great way to get ready.
“So, I’m just happy that I’m out here playing again and I feel good and yeah, so it’s all good.
“My game is pretty good. I’ve got, I had a second in South Africa at the start of the year, felt like I started off pretty good. And then a 7th in Mexico and was playing in the final group for the last two days. And then a tied fourth in Bay Hill.”
The format of his week’s event is three round robin days starting Wednesday and with the top16 advancing to the weekend rounds.
McIlroy made to the semi finals a year ago before bowing out in the battle for third to Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello.
