McIlroy just falls short

Rory McIlroy showed the exhilarating talents that swept him to the world No. 1 spot with an incredibly timed surge during the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship, but he eventually fell two strokes short of the triumphant Justin Rose on a day when Tiger Woods withdrew due to injury - sparking fears over his fitness four weeks out from the Masters.

McIlroy began the day eight shots off the overnight leader, but by the time he arrived at the 13th hole that deficit had been cut to just one. Having threatened a 59 at one stage on Saturday the 22-year-old was displaying similar form once again on the Blue Monster, while most of those ahead of him - other than the unflappable Rose - were showing signs of cracking.

McIlroy was terrific from tee to green, birdying holes one, seven and eight - the latter of which was set up by a sensational approach. His tally at the turn could have been better than three-under, but he suddenly moved onto Rose's shoulder when he birdied 10 and eagled 12 with a sublime bunker shot.

That moved him to within one of the leaders, but as McIlroy attempted to maintain his aggressive approach he drove into the rough at 14, leading to a bogey. A birdie at 16 kept him alive, but an eventual five-under 67 for an overall score of 14-under was not enough to overthrow Rose.

"Yesterday could have been very special and today, moving to within one of the lead through 12, proved pretty frustrating to come away on 14-under," McIlroy told Sky Sports.

England's Rose led for the majority of a thrilling final day, producing a steady round as main rivals Bubba Watson - the overnight leader - and Keegan Bradley yo-yoed from the sublime to the ridiculous. All three men led at different stages, but it was Rose who largely held his score while the other two manoeuvred around him.

The key to the Brit's challenge came early when he birdied one and four to move to the top of the leaderboard. He then missed makeable putts at six and eight, but a birdie at 10 once again nudged him ahead.

Rose's driving left plenty to be desired but, typically, his approach play was superb and he made a decisive move for glory at 14, finding birdie for a two-stroke cushion. In the end, a one-under 70 for a 16-under winning score proved enough for Rose to claim his fourth PGA Tour title.

Bradley, the 2011 US PGA champion, had looked the most likely to steal Rose's thunder when he eagled the first and then birdied five to level with the Brit. The American was actually two clear at the seventh after a gloriously judged birdie putt, but he found deep rough at eight and then missed an easy one to bogey ten, after which he never truly recovered - finishing on 11-under.

Watson saw his three-shot overnight lead eroded in the first four holes as he found himself consistently attracted to water on the front nine. The American was the only man in the top ten to fire over par on the final day, yet he had plenty of chances to win it in a final-round 74, before missing a putt for a play-off on the final hole that saw him complete in second place on 15-under.

Woods had started the day in a position to attack, but he instead faded badly and then withdrew due to injury on a frustrating afternoon for the former world No.1. Consecutive bogeys at six and seven drew the famous Woods grimace, and more agony was to come when he found water at 10.

Woods later confirmed his left Achilles was the problem, forcing a change of shoes to a more padded sole ahead of 11, but he still found sand - eventually rescuing par. At that point the American decided not to incur any more damage, opting to take the buggy back to the clubhouse.