Monday 26 February 2018 14:29, UK
Rory McIlroy encountered huge problems on the 17th for the second time this week as he closed out a disappointing Honda Classic with a 72.
McIlroy looked poised to post his first sub-70 score of the tournament as he played the first 16 holes at PGA National in two under par, but he then came to grief at the final hole of the Bear Trap.
The 28-year-old made a triple-bogey six at the penultimate hole in his second round, but he needed seven shots on Sunday as he slipped from five over to seven over.
His tee shot failed to carry the water and he also blocked his next effort from the drop zone into the hazard before he finally found dry land with his fifth shot, and his third ball.
McIlroy two-putted for a quadruple-bogey to undo his excellent earlier work, recovering from an opening bogey with birdies at the third and fifth.
The 2012 champion went from bunker to bunker at the 12th and narrowly failed to save his par from just inside 20 feet, but he did get a putt to drop from similar range for a bounce-back birdie at 13 before he holed from close to 40 feet at the short 15th.
McIlroy missed another good chance at the next before coming to grief at 17, and a par at the last completed his third 72 of the tournament, finishing well outside the top 50 on nine over par.
He played the first two holes of the Bear Trap solidly all week, making a birdie and three pars at the 15th and carding four straight pars at 16, but he was six over for the week at the 17th.
The world No 10 will now have a week off having opted not to compete in the WGC-Mexico Championship, and he will aim to hit back at the Valspar Championship in a fortnight.
