Rory McIlroy came away with another top 15 finish on the PGA Tour but was left frustrated with himself as he failed to get near the leaders at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
McIlroy ended up finishing at three under for the tournament after threatening to be in contention in the opening couple of rounds.
In the end, the 35-year-old fell away as he let too many shots go.
McIlroy couldn’t get hot with the putt while he also kept finding the rough, making it hard to get to the greens in two on the scoreable par fives.
Of course, one of the big talking points from the week was McIlroy’s change of clubs. McIlroy went for new woods and a new driver, woods and replaced a wedge in the opening three rounds before going back to what he knows better for round for.
And discussing those changes, McIlroy couldn’t help but mock himself for a poor decision.
Rory McIlroy laughs at himself for changing clubs at the Arnold Palmer
Rory McIlroy was speaking to the media after his final round and the topic of conversation quickly turned to the changes he’d decided to make for round four.
And McIlroy admitted that the change hadn’t quite worked out as he’d have liked.
“Yeah, sort of going back to what I’m comfortable with,” McIlroy said. “I tried new woods for the first three days, didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. So, yeah, I went back to my old stuff today. Yeah, driver, fairway wood, everything.”
“Yeah, I led strokes gained off the tee in both Pebble and Torrey, so it was a really good idea to change!,” McIlroy laughed.
“Yeah, so — and then, like yesterday, I lost strokes off the tee, which is the first time I’ve done that in a long time. Yeah, just went back to what was familiar and what’s comfortable.”
Too many mistakes for Rory McIlroy at Bay Hill
Rory McIlroy is still looking good and he’s been playing consistently well for some time now, meaning he’s a good bet for a big win this year.
However, at Bay Hill, in tough winds and with thick rough, he made too many bogeys to ever be in contention.
Over his 72 holes, McIlroy made 15 bogeys or worse as he dropped crucial shots just when he seemed to be on the charge.
For comparison, winner Russell Henley scored nine bogeys or worse and that also included a couple of doubles, something McIlroy avoided.
Put simply, McIlroy has to lower the mistakes he makes or he’ll keep slipping away in tournaments when it matters.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
