Rory McIlroy admitted today he was wrong to quit the Honda Classic halfway through the event.
McIlroy claimed he was “in a bad place mentally” after pulling out last Friday but later released a statement to say a sore wisdom tooth was the reason for his exit.
The world No1 had played the opening eight holes of his second round in seven over par, before finding a water hazard on the 18th and immediately quitting.
McIlroy (above) has been heavily criticised but today tried to explain his actions.
“It was a reactive decision,” he said.“What I should have done on the 18th is take my drop, chip it on, try to make a five and play my hardest on the back nine, even if I shot 85. What I did was not good for the tournament, not good for the kids and the fans who were there watching me — it was not the right thing to do.”
The 23-year-old said he needed to adopt Tiger Woods’s tougher approach.
“He might be the best athlete ever, in terms of his ability to grind it out,” McIlroy said. “I could have a bit more of that.”
