McIlroy crashes out of HK Open

HONG KONG - Agence France-Presse

Rory McIlroy failed in his bid to defend his UBS Hong Kong Open title. AP photo

Rory McIlroy’s bid to become the first man in half a century to retain the $2 million UBS Hong Kong Open came to an embarrassing end on Nov. 16, the world number one crashing out with a double-bogey.

With the 23-year-old almost certain to miss the halfway cut after a disastrous second round, Anders Hansen surged to the top of the leaderboard.

McIlroy had four bogeys in five holes, made par on his penultimate hole, then finished with a double-bogey.

“I always enjoy coming back here, it’s just a pity that this year had to end like that,” said McIlroy, who audibly groaned when his approach shot went wayward on the fifth hole. “The wind was tricky. I didn’t putt very well in Singapore last week. This week was the same, so a bit of putting practice is required in Dubai.”