Back to the drawing board as McIlroy struggles

RORY McILROY sentenced himself to some hard labour on the practice range after starting the WGC-CA Championship with a bitterly disappointing 76 in windy Miami yesterday.

It left the 20-year-old Northern Irishman nine behind the early leaders – but that deficit could have been far worse.

Australian Robert Allenby defied the difficult conditions to reach a brilliant eight under par after 12 holes, but by bogeying the last four for a 68 slipped one behind clubhouse pacesetter Charl Schwartzel.