Rory McIlroy struggles as Augusta looming

Rory McIlroy suffered a dose of the Bay Hill Blues in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and now faces a struggle to make the cut and get his game sharp with just 20 days to go to the Masters.

Having closed with a two over 74 to lose the WGC-Cadillac Championship, the world No 2 posed more question marks about his game when he hit just four fairways and only eight greens in regulation, finding water twice as he made two double bogeys and opened with a three over par 75.

Ironically, given his occasional struggles with the blade, it was his putting that saved him from a more damaging score as he holed four par putts of between eight and 25 feet.