When Rory McIlroy made eagle on the first hole on Sunday at the Northern Trust Open, it seemed like the Ulsterman set the tone for what would have been his 12th PGA Tour win.*
McIlroy wouldn't put another circle on the card until the last hole.
The four-time major winner shot 4-over 75 in the final round at Riviera, tumbling 15 spots on the leaderboard and becoming an afterthought as Bubba Watson emerged winner from a group that included Adam Scott and Dustin Johnson.
"There are encouraging signs," McIlroy said. "But I turned a chance to win into a top-20 at the end of the day, so it wasn't too good."
McIlroy made seven bogeys in the middle 16 holes of the round, including three in a row on the back nine when he couldn't get up and down after less-than-ideal approach shots.
However, McIlroy did have a happy finish. His approach shot to the difficult par-4 18th went a little long of the green, into the fringe. From there, McIlroy drained the putt to end an ugly day with a birdie. McIlroy smiled, knowing he had a day like Jordan Spieth did at Riviera on Thursday -- one to forget and one that won't stick in his memory.
McIlroy heads toward his U.S. base for what amounts to a home game at next week's The Honda Classic with some quality time on the practice green on the agenda.
"My pace putting today was a little off," he said. "So I guess work on that, try and get the speed on the greens down a little more. But tee to green, I felt pretty good. It's just one of those days."

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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