Rory McIlroy aiming to get rid of last week’s demons on the Blue Monster

The last time Rory McIlroy missed the cut in a tournament – at last year’s Irish Open – his response was to bounce back with a vengeance, winning the BMW PGA at Wentworth and using that success as the springboard to a stellar season that garnered two Majors and a WGC title.

Now, the world number one is intent on a similar reaction after missing the cut at the Honda Classic. If McIlroy’s immediate reaction to last week’s failure to get beyond the 36-holes cut was one of frustration, a dinner on Friday night to celebrate his mother Rosie’s birthday changed the mood.

“In fairness, if I was going to miss a weekend, it wasn’t a bad one to miss, being at home (in Jupiter) and with all the (weather) delays. It gave me a bit of time to work on my game, on what I needed to . . . I feel the last few days have been good, very productive. I feel in a better place and a little bit more prepared than I was last week.”

McIlroy resumes tournament action in the WGC-Cadillac Championship here at the Trump National Doral, where the infamous Blue Monster provides the test, intent on using it as a springboard to next month’s Masters where he will be seeking a third straight Major to go with the British Open and US PGA titles won last summer. It would also constitute the final leg of a career Grand Slam for the Ulsterman.

Of that build-up to the Masters, McIlroy said: “I don’t really feel any more anticipation this year than I do any other year. I’m really just focused on the next couple of events that I’m playing and will try and play well there. Then, after that, all I’ll be working on is getting ready for Augusta. Right now, I’m just taking it week by week.”

McIlroy is playing just his second tournament of the season on the US PGA Tour but did win in his last European Tour outing, the Dubai Desert Classic.