ABU DHABI // Each query was met with a sigh, a puff of the cheeks and more than a little figurative head scratching.
Rory McIlroy cut a pretty despondent figure on Saturday after his third round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, and with justification.
The world No 1 had begun the day two shots behind leader Martin Kaymer, already a three-time winner here, but concluded the afternoon another six strokes further back.
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Apparently never feeling more comfortable tee-to-green – McIlroy missed two fairways and hit 17 greens in regulation – a 1-under-par 71 was because his flat stick flatlined. The frustration was evident.
“I feel like punching myself,” McIlroy said. “Very disappointed. I gave myself so many chances and didn’t convert any, really. I don’t know, struggled to read the greens, struggled with the pace, struggled basically with everything.”
He clearly found it difficult to explain. Making his eighth appearance at the tournament, McIlroy presumably knows the National Course greens inside out and is typically proficient enough with the putter anyway.
In what was a career year last season, in which he added another two major championships to the CV and cruised to a second Race to Dubai crown, the Northern Irishman averaged 29 putts a round. Yesterday, he needed 32.
So was it a technical issue, or simply poor judgment? “You have as good an idea as I do,” he said.
By the time Kaymer, who was in the group behind, came in, McIlroy had a clearer picture as to what faces him tomorrow.
He is eight shots off the German juggernaut and in a tie for fifth, and must content himself with making a run at Thomas Pieters in second place at 14-under. It is becoming all too familiar for McIlroy, who has three runner-up finishes in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s sort of like trying to win the other tournament,” he said. “Martin’s playing something a little different to everyone else. I’m two behind Thomas so will try to catch him, because it’s obviously very unrealistic that I’m going to catch Martin tomorrow.”
At that point, tomorrow probably seemed a long way away. McIlroy appeared visibly deflated as he tried to comprehend how a possible 65 or 66 mutated into 71, but he would have plenty of time to pick the bones.
Asked how he planned to fill his evening, McIlroy inhaled deep, puffed out his cheeks and said: “Don’t know. Probably got a couple of commitments for HSBC to do. So I’ll do those, get myself packed up, have a good night’s sleep and try and forget about what happened today.”
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