McIlroy withdraws

Rory McIlroy’s rough start to the year has taken a bad turn. He withdrew from the Honda Classic on Friday without finishing nine holes. McIlroy already was 7 over for eight holes at PGA National and certain to miss another cut. He hit his second shot into the water on the par-5 18th and was done for the week. “There’s not really much I can say, guys,” McIlroy told three reporters who followed him to his car. “I’m not in a good place mentally, you know?” McIlroy, who signed a new equipment deal with Nike, began the year by missing the cut at Abu Dhabi. After a four-week break, he lost in the opening round of the Match Play Championship, and then made only two birdies in the 27 holes he played in the Honda Classic. – Associated Press