Rory McIlroy’s Second Shot At Green Jacket Glory Gets A Blue Monster Shock.

10 years ago by Comments Off on Rory McIlroy’s Second Shot At Green Jacket Glory Gets A Blue Monster Shock.

Rory McIlroy’s  second shot at Grand Slam glory in six weeks time took another jolt by letting slip victory in the WGC – Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral, Miami.

McIlroy went into the final round comfortably leading by three shots and for all intention purposes on track to join golfing greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to capture a dozen PGA Tour titles before he turns 27 early in May.

However McIlroy again found his biggest problems emanating from the shortest club in his bag.

In fact, his longest putt for birdie on the opening nine of the Blue Monster course was 30-feet at the first hole and it wasn’t till the 16th he managed a first birdie on route to an eventual round of 74 for a disappointing share of third place at 10-under par.

“It’s frustrating because it’s two out of the last three weeks. I was leading the golf tournament with 16 holes to play in Riviera,” McIlroy said.
“I was leading the golf tournament here going into the back nine, and to not get the job done in either two of those instances is very frustrating.
“So I’ve got two events left to try to get that win before going to Augusta and I’m hopefully going to get it.
“I feel like my game is in good shape. I just need to figure out what I’m doing in these final rounds and try to rectify it.
“But it’s fine margins and today was fine margins. I felt like for the most part I played okay. I didn’t play as well as I could have done but I definitely played well enough to at least give myself a chance.

The four-time Major winner found himself at three over par early in this round with bogeys at seven, nine and 13 and then three off the lead held by Australia’s Adam Scott.

Scott, looking to win back-to-back for only the second time in his career, crashed off the leader board at the third and fifth holes to be walking down the sixth six shots off the lead.

However the former Masters champ  regrouped brilliantly with six birdies over his next 10 holes to grab a two shot leading cushion and despite some drama down the last when his approach shot rolled inside a hazard line, Scott held on to post a 69 and win by a shot at 12-under par.

American Bubba Watson shot a 68 to grab second place at 11-under par.

But while McIlroy was imploding Sheffield’s Danny Willett was virtually cementing his place in the European Ryder Cup team and sharing second place.

Willett, with two top-three’s in the four WGCs a year ago, got to within a shot of the lead when he birdied the 16th before putting his drive into water at the last in taking a 72 to end tied with McIlroy and his former GB & I Walker Cup team mate.

He arrived in Miami lying third overall on the Hazeltine points table but with his Miami effort putting him to second on the Ryder Cup listing.



Comments are closed.