Sunday 24 January 2016 15:32, UK
Rory McIlroy was left reflecting on what might have been after another near miss at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
The world No 3 had finished runner-up in four of his past five appearances at Abu Dhabi GC and came close to victory again this time around as he ended up two strokes short of eventual winner Rickie Fowler.
McIlroy started Sunday as part of a five-way tie for the lead but went into the final round four strokes off the pace, before a four-under 68 saw him finish joint-third alongside Henrik Stenson.
The Northern Irishman finished strongly by playing the last two holes in three under, but felt a stutter during the middle of the tournament put paid to his chance of victory.
"There was an 18-hole stretch where I played maybe one over par, which in a tournament like this you just can't do," McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"I gave myself a lot of work to do going into the last 18 holes, and just didn't quite have it. Sixty-eight I think is the best I could have done out there with the places I hit it.
"I don't think I hit a shot off the fairway until the ninth hole this afternoon, so if you're putting yourself out of position like that, it's going to be very hard to score around here."
McIlroy has a busier than normal schedule this year leading up to the Masters, but will now take a week off before defending his Dubai Desert Classic crown next month.
Despite missing out on a maiden Abu Dhabi victory, a 35-foot final-hole eagle helped give McIlroy plenty of confidence for the year ahead.
"It's been a good week overall," McIlroy added. "It isn't quite the result I wanted obviously, but there are a lot of positives to take from it.
"To hit two golf shots like that into that green, it does give me a lot of confidence, especially going to the Emirates where I've won a couple of times before.
"I would have liked to have started the season just that little bit better with a win, but I feel I can take plenty away from my performance and build on it."
