Despite a huge charge from Tiger Woods, Rory McILroy kept his composure and shot a final round 69 to win the The Honda Classic by two strokes. The win vaults the 22 year old Irishman into the number one position on the world rankings.
"It was tough today, especially seeing Tiger make a charge," McIlroy said. "I knew par golf would probably be good enough. To shoot 1 under in these conditions, when you go into the round with the lead, is very nice. And I was just able to get the job done."
McILroy didn't have his best stuff with his long game, however, he got up and down all day from several precarious positions. He hit a great pitch from deep rough at 14 to get up and in, and saved par from the greenside bunker at both 15 and 17, two of the difficult par-3s that make up part of the Bear Trap. McILroy got up and down 21 out of 25 times for the week.
"My short game all week has been very good, and it's what you need on a tough golf course like this," McIlroy said. "I was able to do that, especially on 15 and 17. I needed to make pars there. My short game felt good all week, and it definitely saved me today."
The 2012 Major Champions will be...
Tiger Woods vs. Rory McILroy
