Twist in Florida: Russell Henley wins the Honda Classic in the playoffs beating Rory McIlory, Ryan Palmer and Russel Knox. Tiger Woods doesn't even finish the tournament and withdraws, due to back pain, on the 13th hole, when he is +5 in the day, even putting his participation in WGC Cadillac in doubt, in Miami in a few days, where he is champion in load.
“It is too early to tell what I will do – he claims – I need treatment every day until Thursday to see if I can ease the pain”. It is the seventh time in his career that Woods has left a competition, the fourth in the last 5 years.
The bitterest surprise of the last day of golf in Palm Beach Gardens, however, is the collapse of Rory Mcilory. The Northern Irish champion can't keep up with the previous days, even if his pursuers don't seem to be a match for him. The tension, the difficult flags, the wind, we don't know what the reason is, but in the end it's a race among the players in the leading group to see who makes the most mistakes. Rory chooses the worst moment to lose strokes: two at 16, where he goes into the water and double bogey; another on par three of the 17. At the 18 he has a burst of pride, he remembers that he was number one in the world and puts the ball up for auction with an extraordinary wood. He can make a single putt, make an eagle and win a tournament that has always been in his hands. But the ball doesn't fall into the hole by a few millimeters and the conclusion is decided by a playoff with four players, all in the lead with -8. Hanley prevails, 25 years old from Georgia, number 110 in the world, winner of only one tournament in his career last year, on his debut on the tour, who manages to reach the green of 18 with his second shot and score a birdie, against the par of the other three.
It's the second chance McIlory narrowly misses this season. The first was in Dubai in early February. The two episodes are quite similar: Rory has a great start and loses ground in the final stages of the race. Perhaps the emotion, perhaps the fact that in golf there are many variables and luck also has a hand in it.
The good news for Italy is that Matteo Manassero finishes a great fourth round, with 3 strokes under par, -4 in total, and manages to climb 43 positions, finishing 12th.
Meanwhile in South Africa Edoardo Molinari completes another good race and concludes in tenth position. The trophy goes to the Englishman Ross Fisher who thus conquers his fifth victory on the European Tour.
