Anticipation builds for ‘excited’ McIlroy ahead of Masters

So no morale-boosting win for Rory McIlroy in his final competitive outing ahead of his tilt at history. As Matt Every retained the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, the world number one signed off on his final competitive outing before the Masters with a final-round 70 for a 277 that left him in tied-11th but professing to be "excited" about the upcoming challenge at Augusta.

With a two-week break from tournament play and the chance to iron out whatever areas he needs to work on, McIlroy – who birdied two of his last three holes at Bay Hill – claimed to have “got what I wanted out of the week” at the tournament hosted by the legendary Palmer.

Sense of anticipation

McIlroy is chasing a third straight Major title at Augusta to go with the British Open and US PGA titles he won last year, and more importantly is seeking to claim a career Grand Slam by adding the only Major to have evaded him so far.

He left Bay Hill with a sense of anticipation about the challenge ahead. “I feel like I got what I wanted out of the week, four good competitive rounds. I saw some progress with what I was working on last week in the off-week, and I think I still need to work on some things heading into Augusta. But, all in all, a decent week. It would have been nice to get into contention and have a chance to win a tournament, but I am happy with my progress and I have a couple of weeks to work on some things and hopefully go to Augusta ready,” said McIlroy.

He added: “I’m excited [about the Masters], I am going there with an opportunity to achieve three [Majors] in a row, a career Grand Slam, and I am going to embrace it, try not to build it up too much. I know it is a big deal and hopefully I can get my golf game as ready as I can and have a big week there.”

McIlroy’s chance of contending in the tournament effectively went in Saturday’s third round when he suffered three consecutive bogeys on the back nine in a 71 that saw him drop away. On Sunday, he made an early move in his final round with birdies on the fourth and sixth holes only to suffer a bogey on the ninth – where he hit his approach in thick greenside rough – and then suffered another bogey on the 12th where he had more bunker troubles before finishing with birdies on the 16th and 18th.

Every successfully defended after a final round 66 for 269, 19-under-par, gave him a one-stroke winning margin over Sweden's Henrik Stenson, who had a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th to force a playoff.

Stenson had some loose shots coming in and bogeyed the 15th to open the door for Every and the American made the most of his opportunity with a closing birdie on the 18th to claim back-to-back wins at Bay Hill. “For me, I was driving it so good this week and my irons were spot on, the accuracy was great. I kind of had a feeling. The one on 18, straight down the hill, was nice . . . I know how hard it is to win, and there is no point letting your emotions get to you [down the stretch],” said Every.

Pádraig Harrington, in the second week of a five-tournament stretch that culminates with the Masters next month, finished with a 74 for 284, four-under-par, that left the Dubliner in tied-49th position.

Poor start

Harrington got off to a poor start with a bogey on the first and failed to get any momentum going in a round that included four bogeys and two birdies. He moves on to the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, the mid-point of his road trip.

Seamus Power finished with a final-round 68 for 276, eight-under-par, to finish in tied-48th in the Chile Classic on the web.com Tour. The tournament was won by South African Dawie van der Walt. The Waterford player finished birdie-eagle to earn his first pay in five outings in his rookie season on the PGA Tour’s secondary circuit.