McIlroy Upbeat Despite Hawaii Miss

Rory McIlroy says he is happy with his display at the Sentry Tournament of Champions despite failing to lift the trophy. Northern Irishman McIlroy was in the final group heading into the remaining 18 holes at the Plantation Course on Sunday – three shots behind American leader Gary Woodland – and the four-time Major winner was feeling optimistic of chasing down his rival.

However, the 29-year-old struggled to get anything going and he ended up signing for a one-under-par 72, enough to see him finish in a three-way tie for fourth on -15 alongside Dustin Johnson and Marc Leishman.

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Last year, McIlroy played his way into the final group on six occasions but he failed to convert any of those chances into wins, and it is a case of de ja vu at the beginning of 2019.

However, although not ending up in the winners’ circle, the world number eight says he is happy with how he played over the final round. “My attitude was much better today, I didn’t press at all, I was very patient, it’s just something I’m going to have to persist in, just keep putting myself in these positions and honestly, I don’t think anyone could have beaten Xander today,” McIlroy was quoted as saying by the Belfast Telegraph.

“Obviously, I could have shot a better score, but I did what I wanted to do. I gave myself plenty of chances, I hit most of the fairways, I hit most of the greens, just couldn’t get the ball to drop.”