PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rory McIlroy is a lot of things.
- He is one of the best golfers in the world.
- He is a two-time major championship winner at age 24.
- He is the product of terrific parents, Gerry and Rosie, both of whom sacrificed a lot when he was younger to make way for his success.
- He is wealthy behind his wildest dreams after growing up modest middle class on the outskirts of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
- He is engaged to Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
McIlroy also is a really good learner. When McIlroy makes a mistake — lowlighted by his meltdown at last year’s Honda Classic when he quit in the middle of his second round — he learns from it.
That brings us to Sunday, when McIlroy will try to close out the lead he has built a lead at the Honda Classic at PGA National, where he shot a 1-under-par 69 on Saturday. McIlroy, who is at 12-under par, leads his nearest pursuer, Russell Henley, by two shots.
Russell Knox is three shots back at 9-under and Jhonattan Vegas is four back at 8-under. Tiger Woods, who shot 65, is seven shots back at 5-under with little chance to overtake McIlroy.
McIlroy, who has led after all three rounds this week, has taken the lead into the final round of a tournament four times in his career, winning three of them. The one he failed to close out was the 2011 Masters, when he hemorrhaged a four-shot final-round lead and lost by 10 shots after shooting 80.
Since then, he is 3-0 with a 54-hole lead, winning the 2011 U.S. Open two months after that Masters disaster, winning the 2012 Honda Classic, which elevated him to the No. 1 in the world at the time, and winning the 2012 PGA Championship.
“Definitely not a coincidence,’’ McIlroy said Saturday when asked whether that 2011 Masters experience had a positive effect on the way he’s handled final-round leads. “I learned a lot that day. I learned exactly how not to protect a 54 hole lead. I went out there being very protective, very cautious … and I should have just stuck to the game plan, stuck to my process, not look at the leaderboard, not look at what other people are doing.
“So it was a huge learning day in my career. I learned a lot from it and that’s the reason that every 54 hole lead that I’ve had since I’ve been able to close the deal. Hopefully I can keep that run going [Sunday].’’
McIlroy, who did not win in 2013 while adjusting to his new Nike clubs and the elevated expectations that came with being No. 1 in the world, has not won a PGA Tour event since the BMW Championship in September 2012.
Nevertheles, he will draw upon a lot of things on Sunday, not the least of which is his 2012 Honda Classic win after he took a two-shot lead at 11-under par into that final round.
“Being under pressure like that on this golf course should stand to me [Sunday],’’ McIlroy said. “I’ve got the experience of going into the final day here with a 54 hole lead and coming out on top, so those memories should stand to me. This golf course is all about not making mistakes.’’
