Renowned Scottish caddy Dave Renwick confessed he could have lived with himself had he not pulled Rory McIlroy up on a rules infringement that effectively killed McIlroy’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship victory hopes.
For a second time in three years McIlroy’s fallen foul of rules that’s seen the double Major winner have glory snatched from his grasp and again finish runner-up by a shot.
Two years ago, Luke Donald picked McIlroy up on a rules infringement during the final round that saw McIlroy lose out by a stroke to England’s Robert Rock.
Scotland’s Dave Renwick explaining to Rory McIlroy what he witnessed at the second hole. (|Photo – www.gettyimages.com)
Now after McIlroy had incurred a two-shot penalty on day three of this year’s event in not taking ‘full relief’ from a spectator crossing point a lack of understanding of the Rules of Golf came back to haunt him in again losing out by one stroke to playing partner and close friend Pablo Larrazabal of Spain
Larrazabal shot a last day 67 for a 14-under par tally and McIlroy a 68 to share second place on 13-under par with Phil Mickelson was also left lamenting having to call a penalty on himself after a ‘double hit’ playing out of bushes at 13.
“I can’t describe how frustrating it is and feeling like I should be standing here at 15-under par for the tournament and winning by one,” said McIlroy.
“But that’s the way it goes. I played the least shots of anyone this week. So, I mean, I count it as a moral victory more than anything else.
“It is a very positive start to the season so I’m not to let one little negative ruin that.
“It was not to I finished one behind on the 18th that it started he to dawn on me if what happened yesterday had not happened, I would have won. But I ended up not getting a trophy.
“But Pablo played well, and I can’t take anything away from him”.
Renwick, who has enjoyed Majors success with Vijay Singh and caddied for Aussie Steve Elkington when he beat Colin Montgomerie in a play-off for the 1995 PGA Championship, left a note in McIlroy’s locker further explaining his despair in raising the matter with the 24-year old.
The East Calder caddy said: “If I hadn’t said anything and Rory won the tournament by a shot, that wouldn’t have been right and I couldn’t have lived with myself.
“I feel I did the right thing and if I could have stopped him before he hit the shot I would have but then I was fully 40 yards away at the time.
“I said to my player Ricardo (Gonzalez) as we walked to the next tee, ‘I’m sure he was standing on the walkway, not by much but enough’
“I couldn’t have gone to sleep last night knowing that I hadn’t said anything.
“So that’s why I put a letter, a nice short one on his locker today saying that I’m sure he would appreciate what I did was in good faith.
“It was pleasing to hear that he’d said there was no animosity as we’ve all got to adhere to the rules out here, after all.”
