Round 4: The Honda Classic
March 4 2012
9:05 pm
Watch: Final-round highlights
McIlroy wins The Honda Classic
Rory McIlroy shoots a 1-under 69 to win and move to fourth in the FedExCup standings while taking over the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.
8:09 pm
With this victory: Rory McIlroy
With his win Sunday at The Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy:
● Earns his third victory on the PGA TOUR in his 40th start at the age of 22 years, 10 months.
● Moves to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings, 120 points behind leader Kyle Stanley.
● Will move to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, taking over the top spot from Luke Donald. Since the OWGR began in April of 1986, McIlroy (22 years, 10 months) becomes the second youngest player to achieve the top spot. Only Tiger Woods was younger, moving into the No. 1 position on June 15, 1997, at the age of 21 years, 24 weeks.
● PGA TOUR victories (3): 2010 Quail Hollow Championship, 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 The Honda Classic
● Becomes the youngest winner in Honda Classic history at 22 years, 10 months. The youngest previous winner was Matt Kuchar at 23 years, 8 months, 20 days.
● Becomes the fifth consecutive international winner of this event, joining Ernie Els (2008), Y.E. Yang (2009), Camilo Villegas (2010) and Rory Sabbatini (2011). He is also the seventh in the last eight years. The only U.S. winner during that span was Mark Wilson in 2007.
● Is one of nine players 22-years-old and under with multiple wins with at least one of the wins being a major. The others are Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Young Tom Morris, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Creavy, Johnny McDermott, Seve Ballesteros and Jerry Pate.
7:00 pm
Final update: McIlroy prevails
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — There’s little argument who the best player in the world is, literally or figuratively. At least at the moment.
Rory McIlroy shot a 1-under 69 Sunday to win The Honda Classic by two shots, withstanding an epic charge from Tiger Woods to move to fourth in the FedExCup standings and the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I think the way I won today … I made a couple big par saves early,” McIlroy said. “It was just one of those days. There was a 62 and a 63 out there, which is unbelievable playing. I just needed to focus on my game and do what I needed to do, and thankfully that’s what happened.”
The 62 came from Woods, who put on a charge eerily similar to the one he had during the final round of the 2011 Masters. Similarly, it wasn’t enough to overcome the hole he’d put himself in.
Woods went out in 31 then matched that number on the back, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 18th that sent the crowd into a frenzy. There was a fist pump from Woods, who carded his lowest round since the third round of the 2009 BMW Championship, and the roar was heard all the way back to the 13th hole where McIlroy was playing.
“I couldn’t really think about it too much. I just had to concentrate on what I was doing,” McIlroy said.
Coming off his only bogey of the day, McIlroy answered with a birdie of his own and never led by fewer than two the rest of the day.
“It was nice to have that two-shot cushion going into the last five holes after holing that birdie putt,” McIlroy continued.
McIlroy parred in from there and for the week played the infamous Bear Trap — Nos. 15, 16 and 17 — in a combined 3 under with three birdies and no bogeys.
He played the rest of the course pretty well, too. For the week, McIlroy was sixth in putting and 10th in greens in regulation.
“My putting has been really good, especially today,” McIlroy said. “I made a couple of big par saves early, and then made the putts I needed to.
“That was big this week, saving par, which I managed to do today very well.”
Others made big charges too — Lee Westwood finished fourth after a 63, and Tom Gillis had a career-best tie for second after 1-under 69 as he hung with McIlroy nearly all afternoon — but in the end this day was all about McIlroy.
6:34 pm
Notes from inside the ropes
By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods ended a couple disturbing trends on Sunday. During his first two stroke-play events of the year, his final rounds were his worst of the tournament. He ended that in a big way by shooting 62, the lowest final round of his PGA TOUR career. Woods’ 8-under, bogey-free round was accomplished with a pair of eagles on both par 5’s. For the first 54 holes this week, Woods had just one birdie on the six par 5’s. In the final round, he played the two par 5’s in 4-under par.
Rory responds: The noise of Woods’ eagle on the 72nd hole reverberated across the golf course and was plainly audible for Rory McIlroy. His response? The Ulsterman rolled home a birdie of his own at the 13th and pumped his fist with excitement. Following Woods’ eagle, McIlroy one-putted his next three holes and took just eight putts for his final six holes.
Bogey game: Tom Gillis played a practice round on Tuesday betting the “bogey game.” In order to collect money, the player had to remain bogey-free. Gillis one-putted the final hole to win the bets and carried that play into the tournament. He had just two bogeys during the first 54 holes and while some final-round nerves caused three bogeys in his first 10 holes on Sunday, Gillis finished with only five bogeys for the week and shared second place with Tiger Woods.
Florida wind: Keegan Bradley had a solid start to the Florida swing, finishing 12th at The Honda Classic. The four weeks in Florida usually present some of the windier conditions of the entire year and Bradley sometimes struggles to flight the ball. During his rookie season, Bradley essentially only hit towering irons but his play this week in windy conditions shows a maturity in his game.
Nicklaus’ advice: McIlroy remembered a conversation with Jack Nicklaus before playing his final round. Nicklaus said that his opponents lost more tournaments than he won. Nicklaus would often let fellow competitors make mistakes until he was the last one standing. McIlroy used that advice on Sunday, making just a single bogey and only five bogeys for the week while leading the tournament in scrambling.
Trapped? The Bear Trap took its toll again this year but McIlroy was far from trapped by the 15th, 16th and 17th holes. He played the three-hole stretch in 3-under par this week and took just four putts in the Bear Trap on Sunday.
Future prospects: The PGA TOUR is suddenly set up for one of the more exciting seasons in history. Consider what is converging. Rory McIlroy is the new No. 1 player in the world. Tiger Woods shot 62 in his final round this week while Lee Westwood shot 63. Then, remember, Phil Mickelson is at home watching all this having finished first and second in his last two events. Four stars of the TOUR could all be at their peak this spring.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and is inside the ropes this week at The Honda Classic. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.
5:50 pm
Congratulate McIlroy on his victory
Rory McIlroy carded a 1-under 69 to hold on and win The Honda Classic on Sunday afternoon. This is McIlroy’s third victory on the PGA TOUR and propels the 22-year-old to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings and No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Want to congratulate the young Northern Irishman on his victory? Leave a note in our comments section below and we’ll send it to him!
5:38 pm
Live updates: News, notes, more
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The final round of The Honda Classic is in the books. Check below for updates, news and more from Sunday at PGA National.
FINAL-ROUND UPDATES (All times ET) | Final leaderboard
5:38 p.m.: Slow and steady won the race for Rory McIlroy. It wasn’t flashy down the stretch, but it didn’t have to be as McIlroy parred his last five holes — scrambling on three of them — to hold off Tom Gillis and Tiger Woods to win The Honda Classic. McIlroy will move to No. 4 in the race for the FedExCup and No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking with his victory at PGA National.
5:15 p.m.: Rory McIlroy makes yet another up-and-down for par on the 17th hole. He heads to the par-5 18th needing just a bogey to secure a victory at PGA National.
5:05 p.m.: Two holes into the Bear Trap and Rory McIlroy’s two-shot lead remains intact. After scrambling for par on No. 15, Mcilroy had a routine par on the 16th. He’s off to the tough 186-yard par-3 17th.
4:35 p.m.: Rory McIlroy has entered the Bear Trap, where trying to hold onto his two-shot lead over Tiger Woods, who is already in with a 62. McIlroy has played the 15th, 16th and 17th holes in a combined 3 under this week with three birdies and no bogeys. If he can get through there in even par today, he’ll likely win.
4:12 p.m.: Things just got a lot more interesting at PGA National. Tiger Woods holed an 8-foot eagle putt on the 18th to cap a final-round 62 and take the clubhouse lead at PGA National. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy was rolling home an 8-foot putt of his own — for birdie — on the par-4 13th to push back to 12 under.
3:59 p.m.: Rory McIlroy found his first bump in the road Sunday at PGA National when he bogeyed the par-4 12th hole. Losing that shot, McIlroy falls to 11 under. He’s three clear of playing competitor Tom Gillis and Justin Rose, who got up-and-down from a fairway bunker for birdie on No. 13. Lee Westwood is in the clubhouse three back while Tiger Woods is three off the pace with one hole to play.
3:20 p.m.: Back-to-back bogeys by Tom Gillis have dropped the 43-year-old four shots back of Rory McIlroy, who now seems to be well on his way to his third career PGA TOUR victory. McIlroy has just one birdie all da but he’s been mistake-free with zero bogeys on the card on what’s been a wet and windy day at PGA National.
2:55 p.m.: Tiger Woods’ birdie barrage has slowed a bit. Woods had pretty good looks on Nos. 12 and 13, but missed from 18 and 14 feet, respectively. They were by no means gimmies of course, but both had a chance at going in the hole and nearly did. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy made his first birdie of the day on No. 8 and just turned in 1 under. He leads by three over Tom Gillis and five over Woods.
2:30 p.m.: Seven holes down for Rory McIlroy, seven pars. He hasn’t been quite as sharp as he was in his previous three rounds here, but McIlroy has made a couple of big putts when he’s need to make them, including a 12-footer to save par on the par-3 seventh, where he missed the green right and into a bunker. The good news for McIlroy is that he still leads by one over Tom Gillis. However, Tiger Woods continues to climb. Woods is 5 under through 12 holes and only four back of McIlroy with just two players separating him from the top spot on the leaderboard.
2:05 p.m.: Rory McIlroy is six holes into his final round and still has the lead by one over Tom Gillis. But it’s Tiger Woods who is making the biggest noise right now. Woods is 5 under through his first 11 holes after his third birdie of the day (he also has an eagle) to get to 7 under for the week. Woods is still four shots off the lead, but he’s now tied for fourth with only two players separating him from McIlroy.
1:25 p.m.: Rory McIlroy has had a couple of looks at birdie through his first three holes but has failed to convert either of them. On the first hole, he missed a 10-footer and had to settle for par, and on the par-5 third just now he missed from just outside 15 feet. Tom Gillis did not miss, though, and thanks to his second birdie of the day he is now one back of McIlroy. Charl Schwartzel, meanwhile, is now in third by himself after playing his first four holes in 2 under.
1:05 p.m.: Thanks to an eagle and two birdies, Tiger Woods is now 6 under for the week and five shots off the lead. He’s still a long way from contending of course, but Woods is putting well with 11 putts through seven holes. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy made a big par save from about 13 feet on the second hole after missing the green short on his approach. Tom Gillis, who was within a stroke of McIlroy after a birdie on the first hole, gave it right back with a bogey on No. 2 after missing a par save from just inside 12 feet.
12:46 p.m.: What was a two-stroke lead at the start of the day for Rory McIlroy is down to one after Tom Gillis birdied the opening hole, where he hit his approach to just over 7 feet and made the putt. McIlroy and Harris English, meanwhile, both parred the hole. McIlroy had a look at birdie from just inside 11 feet but slid it past the hole, while English got up-and-down from just short of the green.
12:30 p.m.: The final group of Rory McIlroy, Harris English and Tom Gillis has teed off here at PGA National, where Justin Rose and Charl Schwartzel have cut into their lead a little bit. Both birdied the first hole and are three and four shots back, respectively, of McIlroy, who leads English and Gillis by two.
12 p.m.: Despite the wet conditions, the ball is being played down here in the final round at PGA National, where some low starts are popping up. Tiger Woods, who played just one hole before was suspended earlier, is 2 under through his first three holes, while Lee Westwood and Erik Compton are both 3 under early in their rounds. Spencer Levin is also 2 under through 3 holes. They all still have a long way to go, however, with Rory McIlroy at 11 under. McIlroy will tee off in 20 minutes.
11:45 a.m.: Play resumed about 15 minutes ago with a couple of players taking advantage of what are some pretty soft conditions after rain rolled through the area earlier. Lee Westwood played his first three holes in 3 under, while Erik Compton was 2 under through his first three holes. Because of the delay, the leaders won’t tee off until 12:20 p.m. This is the third time Rory McIlroy has taken a lead to the final round, and he’s 1-for-2 in that situation having of course gone on to an easy victory in last year’s U.S. Open.
4:29 pm
Woods cards career final round
Interview: Tiger Woods
Following his final-round 62 at the 2012 Honda Classic, Tiger Woods addressed the media to discuss his play and how much ''fun'' he had.
MORE TIGER: Tiger’s scorecard | Birdie on No. 17 | Eagle on No. 3 | Replay his round
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — For all of Tiger Woods’ accomplishments, he’d never had as good a final round as he did Sunday when he carded a 62 at The Honda Classic.
The epic charge moved him up the leaderboard and into contention at PGA National, where he got within one of the lead following an eagle on the par-5 18th. It was Woods’ lowest score since a 62 in the third round of the 2009 BMW Championship.
Only unlike that day at Cog Hill Woods didn’t go on to win. He fell two strokes shy of eventual champion Rory McIlroy.
Still, the four-birdie, two-eagle day gives Woods plenty of confidence as he continues to work toward his first PGA TOUR victory since the BMW.
“It feels good,” Woods said. “I felt like I was close. I’ve been close to shooting this score, or scores like this. It was just a matter of time before things all fell into place.”
It certainly did on Sunday.
After a two-hour weather delay, Woods who had played just one hole before the horn sounded, returned to the course and began to make his move.
An eagle at the par-5 second. Birdies on Nos. 5 and 7.
Woods made the turn in 31 and matched it on the back with two more birdies and an eagle on the 18th that briefly put him within one of McIlroy.
A huge roar went up in the crowd and echoed throughout the golf course all the way back to the 13th hole.
McIlroy responded by making birdie to give himself some breathing room. He never looked back and Woods had to settle for second.
Still, Woods is pleased with his progress, which was certainly evident this week.
After taking 34 putts in the opening round, Woods never had more than 28 the rest of the week and on Sunday took just 26. He was also third in the field in greens hit and eighth in fairways.
The tie for second is his best finish since a runner-up at the 2009 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.
“Overall, my finishes have been pretty good since Australia on,” Woods said. “It was just a matter of keep building, keep sticking with it. I’m hitting more solid shots, I’m making more putts, my speed is getting back.
“Everything is coming, and I just need to keep progressing. I just need to keep sticking with it, and it’s going to turn.”
3:37 pm
Watch: Rory’s big birdie
McIlroy birdies No. 8
Rory McIlroy hits his 165-yard approach shot to 9 feet on the par-4 eigth hole and makes the putt for birdie.
1:45 pm
Oosthuizen withdraws after nine holes
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Louis Oosthuizen withdrew after nine holes Sunday, citing illness.
The 2010 British Open champion was 2 over at the start of the day but had a disastrous stretch on the back nine at PGA National, where he made three bogeys, three double bogeys and one birdie to shoot an 8-over 43.
This was just the second start of the year on the PGA TOUR for Oosthuizen, who lost in the second round of last week’s World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Up next he’ll head to TPC Blue Monster at Doral for the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.
1:33 pm
Watch: Early charge by Tiger
Woods birdies No. 5
Tiger Woods hits his tee shot to 9 feet on the 192 yard, par-3 fifth hole and sinks the birdie putt.
Wods eagles No. 3
Tiger Woods holes a 27-foot eagle putt on the par-5 third hole.
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