Monday 28 March 2016 14:11, UK
Rory McIlroy turned in a lacklustre display as he slumped to a 3&2 defeat to Rafa Cabrera-Bello in the consolation match at the WGC-Dell Match Play in Texas.
McIlroy looked understandably deflated following his semi-final defeat to eventual champion Jason Day, and his shoulders sagged a little further when he missed a number of chances on the greens to build up a commanding lead.
Cabrera-Bello hung on grimly and went ahead for the first time in the match with his second birdie of the entire day at the 11th, and further birdies at 14 and 16 clinched third place overall.
McIlroy holed from just inside 10 feet to go ahead at the second, although he missed from half that distance to gift a hole back at the next before atoning with an eight-foot birdie putt at the fourth.
But the world No 3 passed up excellent opportunities at the fifth and eighth, and a fluffed chip into a bunker at the ninth allowed Cabrera-Bello to level the match heading to the back nine.
Cabrera-Bello failed to make a single birdie in his earlier defeat to Louis Oosthuizen, but he finally got a putt to drop from 30 feet at the 11th, although McIlroy hit straight back with a solid up-and-down for birdie at the long 12th.
Both hit poor chips from behind the 13th green and settled for a half in pars, and the Cabrera-Bello edged back ahead when he drained a 13-foot putt for a winning three at the next.
McIlroy paid the price for a pulled drive at 15 and missed from five feet to match Cabrera-Bello's par, and the Spaniard knocked a superb second onto the green at the long 16th and two-putted for the winning birdie as McIlroy's 10-footer missed the target.
