McIlroy already was 7-over par through eight holes when he hit his second shot into the water on the par-5 18th and didn't bother hitting another shot. He shook hands with Ernie Els and Mark Wilson, turned in his scorecard and walked straight to the parking lot.
McIlroy told three reporters who followed him that he's "not in a good place mentally."
An hour later, his management company issued a statement that the 23-year-old McIlroy couldn't concentrate because of a sore wisdom tooth.
His abrupt departure only added to the sloppy start to his young season, and raised concerns with the Masters just more than a month away. In three tournaments, he has missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, lost in the first round of the Match Play Championship and withdrew after 26 holes at PGA National.
I had wisdom teeth, they never altered my game any .............
