Rory McIlroy lost his four shot lead after just ten holes of the final round of the Masters. He eventually ended up collapsing and hitting a round of 80.
McIlroy, clearly feeling the pressure was one over at the turn but drove his tenth tee shot almost out of bounds and took a seven to go four over par for his round. He later three-putted the 12th to fall completely out of contention.
His final round was reminiscent of the collapse at the British Open last year when he shot a second round 80
Afterwards he said "It is one of those things I am very disappointed but I will have plenty more chances ... hopefully it will build a little bit of character in me."
"I will reflect on this for the next few days. I lost a lot of confidence in my putting and began second guessing myself," he said.
McIlroy never looked comfortable during his final round after bogeying the first hole and soon found himself in a dog fight as Adam Scott, Tiger Woods and McIlroy's playing partner Angel Cabrera all shot under par with Woods powering through a 32 for the first nine and joining the leaders on the 15th.
McIlroy, who had played nerves free all week found the immense pressure telling on him and it finally came apart on the 10th when his drive ended up a hundred yards off the fairway and he later hit a tree as he tried to extricate himself.
It was heartbreak for the young 21-year-old Northern Irish player who had led through the first three rounds and looked certain to continue on to victory with a four shot lead.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.gwen1980 | Apr 15, 2011, 09:48 PM EDT
look at him now, 8 under today, what collapse? irish people love to see successful people fall, begrudging bastards
Brolaur | Apr 12, 2011, 06:54 PM EDT
Hes a Brit now, not Irish. If he had won, he would be Irish, of course. Just a wee joke. We are proud of our Rory. "He's not gone away, ye know"
gwen1980 | Apr 12, 2011, 12:23 PM EDT
it shouldnt matter if he is from the north or the republic, all that matters is he played his heart out. fine he let it slip away but if he wasnt the leader at all in this tournament and finished t15 at -4, everyone would say that was a great result for him. he will have many more chances. George dillon is such a wanker, i see him posting on this site all the time.
nicgearailt | Apr 11, 2011, 07:18 PM EDT
I do not understand many of the comments here. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Rory at Augusta..he was fantastic...he was born in Ireland..Northern Ireland...all of Ireland was rooting for him...he's a terrific young man...was so composed in his post game interview and his tweets..he is to be supported by all of us who enjoy the game...his golf skills are amazing...he made some great birdies on 3rd round..he will be one to watch..Rory rocks!!
jedswims | Apr 11, 2011, 04:30 PM EDT
he's still young.. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of him 2 the masters & other Major tournaments...
cathy/marty | Apr 11, 2011, 03:37 PM EDT
Rory was under a lot of pressure going into that final round. Up until that point he played fantistic. Give the man his due. He is young and still learning.His time will come.
Jamcelt | Apr 11, 2011, 12:14 PM EDT
Bet he wishes he had the luck of the Irish now....
cillowen | Apr 11, 2011, 11:29 AM EDT
rory can't serve two masters and remain a whole person. Playing under England's St George makes he and ilk seem ridiculous. His coach needs to educate rory on mouthing off his opinions ... on tiger.... Another piece of my two cents would be to keep his good friends from contacting him as he out there building into becoming on own master. Unfortunate also that he paired the bull moose of the pampas instead of with Jason Day. He'll be back if he takes on board some common sense notions.
Trealach | Apr 11, 2011, 10:28 AM EDT
Seems like George Dillon has his head well and truly up his THÓIN regarding his (lack of) knowledge about Ireland as a nation - ROFLMAO!!
dcdeirdre | Apr 10, 2011, 07:08 PM EDT
AOBoyle... Completely agree. I too was optimistic until I saw O'Shea's lavish prediction which in the past has tended to be the kiss of death! Wee Mac will have his day and is always a joy to watch.
AOBoyle | Apr 10, 2011, 06:58 PM EDT
Great job O'Shea, I knew you gave him the kiss of death with your headline....he's still not ready to surpass Woods or end Woods era per your May and July articles of 2010! And even though Tiger didn't win today, he showed he is not buried yet and if you're counting McIlroy is still 14 majors behind Woods! I feel bad for Rory and he'll get his someday, but he doesn't come close to Tiger, yet. And one can be only left to wonder, how many more tournaments would Tiger have under his belt but for his personal life collapsing like Rory did today.
DrTrelawney | Apr 10, 2011, 04:12 PM EDT
George. Nothing you say effectively contradicts (or even tries to) a single thing I wrote. So I won't even bother addressing it. Nor am I going to address the ad hominem attacks, beyond saying that virtually everything you say about me personally is incorrect.
dcdeirdre | Apr 10, 2011, 01:47 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon your petty bloviating contrariness is so boring. I hope the Ulsterman walks out wearing the green jacket. Whether he plays for Northern Ireland, Ireland, or as a member of the Irish British team he is always a joy to watch and a progressive mature young man. Up Down!
clevelander | Apr 10, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT
GeorgeDillon "For the first time in history, the Irish accepted that they were not a nation." Please explain. If you can?
GeorgeDillon | Apr 10, 2011, 12:12 PM EDT
Trealach: What a stupid post. "All" that the 26 Counties did was to say that the North is not part of Ireland. For the first time in history, the Irish accepted that they were not a nation. No wonder that crazy vote was immediately followed by the importation of hundreds of thousands of foreigners! Don't be such a dope, Trealach, have some sense. And learn some Irish before you post your nonsense here-- there's no such word as "thión". Moron.
GeorgeDillon | Apr 10, 2011, 12:08 PM EDT
Our resident racist, DrTrelawney, tries to lecture me on nationality. Listen, you dope. McIlroy, as has been pointed out by another poster, has no interest in being "Oirish". As far as I'm converned, taht's his prerogative--I have no interest in being Canadian. But it's laughable to see Southerners like you trying to claim him. He doesn't want you, geddit? Just like you don't want the people of South Armagh or Tyrone. And did you never even read the old Constitution? I bet you voted to change it, yet you had never read it. It made no mention of the nonsense you ascribe to it, it said that the national territory was the 32 counties of Ireland. You are the most uninformed poster here, Trelawney, utterly ignorant and bigoted.
clevelander | Apr 10, 2011, 11:39 AM EDT
When Rory came on the golf scene I was hoping for another great IRISH Golfer to root for. But Rory himself stated that he would rather play for england under the union jack in the olympics than for Ireland and the Tri-Color. He also carries a british passport. I have no time for him and cannot cheer for him. I know, I know it's a new Ireland, times are changing, get over it etc.. I would rather have Tiger win and I hate that guy. Just my thoughts.
Trealach | Apr 10, 2011, 10:55 AM EDT
@George Dillon - Think before making a fool of your self. Rory McIlroy was born on the island of Ireland. All the Republic did was to remove Article 3, the "constituional territorial claim" - but a cat born in a soap box still remains a cat. McIlroy is still Irish living in a part of Ireland still under British rule. He is an Irish National with dual citizenship. Slán agus póg mo thión.
DrTrelawney | Apr 10, 2011, 10:53 AM EDT
The constitution was changed to remove any claims to Northern Ireland being part of the Irish Republic. Of course, the six counties remain geographically part of the island of Ireland. The only way of changing that would be to tow them into the ocean. Dillon asks "Is he British or Irish?" He is patently both. There's nothing complicated or unusual about that. The French are both French and European. Nobody is being remotely hypocritical in supporting McIlroy. You are permitted your sneer. But it doesn't signify anything.
dcdeirdre | Apr 10, 2011, 10:45 AM EDT
Oh give over GeorgeDillon, you petty bloviating contrarian. McIlroy playing for Ireland, Northern Ireland or for the Irish British team is always a joy to watch. He is a progressive young man and should be commended for it. Up Down!
cillowen | Apr 10, 2011, 10:22 AM EDT
rory proudly views himself as british - rightly so given the benefits to accrue his way. Harrington is a hit and misser - does not project being the man.
Jamcelt | Apr 10, 2011, 09:35 AM EDT
Harrington has won 3 Majors, so I fail to see how this is the most important.
GeorgeDillon | Apr 10, 2011, 08:23 AM EDT
I confess I permit myself a sneer when I see people from the 26 Counties, who continually bray about how Northern Ireland is a separate country, suddenly become 32-County Republicans when someone from North of the Border does well. Is he Irish or is British, O'Shea? You people in the 26 Counties changed your Constitution a few years ago to state that the North is not part of Ireland. Hypocrites.