McIlroy fluffs early chance

Apr 12 2009

Rory McIlroy gave himself the opportunity to make a flying start to his final round in The Masters at Augusta today - but he could not grasp it.

After a memorable debut of everything from an eagle to a triple bogey to possible disqualification, the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland resumed on level par. That was 11 strokes behind leaders Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry and about four too many to think he had an outside chance of climbing into contention.

McIlroy had been applauded onto the opening green after a superb iron to eight feet, but missed it and then failed to hole from even closer on the par-five next after a bunker shot that almost went in for eagle.

Attacking the 350-yard third with a driver, his ball veered right into the trees, but then came back out onto the fairway.

He failed to make the most of the lucky break, however, and with a bogey five slipped to one over.

Padraig Harrington - who wrote off his hopes of a third successive major after a Saturday 73 containing a quadruple bogey nine on the second - birdied the first, but was still only in 22nd place.

Paul Casey, winner of the Houston Open last Sunday, birdied the second and seventh to climb to one under and fellow Englishman Ross Fisher matched that start to get to level par.

Conditions were perfect and with two rounds of 65 already this week, Cabrera and Perry were primed to expect an attack from their closest pursuers.

Perry's Ryder Cup teammates Chad Campbell and Jim Furyk were two and three behind, but Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson - paired together - had a massive seven strokes to try to make up.