Rory McIlroy apologises for throwing club into water at Doral

Rory McIlroy: Frustration boiled over at the eighth

Rory McIlroy admitted "frustration got the better of me" as he apologised for hurling a club into water during the second round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

The world No 1 is expected to be fined by the PGA Tour following his remarkable display of temper at the par-five eighth hole, where he turned an excellent birdie chance into a bogey-six.

McIlroy had got off to an encouraging start with birdies at the first two holes, but he bogeyed the next after blocking his tee-shot into water and he then took three putts from short of the green at the short fourth.

 

It all bottled up and I had to let it go somehow and that's what happened. I don't feel good about doing it

Rory McIlroy

He got back on track with a 25-foot birdie putt at the seventh, and he found the fairway at the eighth and took dead aim with a three-iron from a little over 220 yards.

But he tugged the shot way left of the green, and the ripples in the lake had barely subsided when he angrily hurled the offending long-iron into the water before composing himself ahead of his fourth shot.

 

 

Claims Tiger Woods is serving a one-month golf ban are withdrawn

 

Tiger Woods: Claims of ban withdrawn

Claims that Tiger Woods is serving a one-month suspension - rebutted by the player's agent and the PGA Tour - have been withdrawn.

Former world No 1 Woods is taking an indefinite break from golf as he attempts to get his game "tournament ready" after a poor run of form and injuries.

Former Tour player Dan Olsen, who played in 35 Tour events between 1989 and 2011 - missing 22 cuts - alleged in an interview on US radio station 730AM The Game on Friday that Woods was serving a drugs ban, but on Monday retracted his claims and issued an apology to the 14-time major winner.

"I retract the entire interview," Olsen said in a statement on the radio station's website. "My comments were ill-advised. I want to apologise to Nike, the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and (Tour commissioner) Tim Finchem."

The allegations had brought a strong denial from the PGA, with PGA Tour executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Ty Votaw issuing a statement.

"There is no truth whatsoever to these claims," it read. "We categorically deny these allegations."

Woods' agent Mark Steinberg also quashed the allegations, labelling them "unequivocally and completely false".

"These claims are absolutely, unequivocally and completely false," he said. "They are unsourced, unverified and completely ridiculous.

"The PGA Tour has confirmed that there is no truth to these claims."

Woods has not played since he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open at the start of February, less than a week after firing a career-worst round of 82 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

No date has been set for the 39-year-old's return, with the Masters at Augusta starting on April 9.

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