Rory McIlroy has officially withdrawn from The Honda Classic. It was the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal that should garner some interest. McIlroy was +7 after the first day of the tournament and was struggling in the second round. Already 7-over on the day, he hit a shot into the water on the 18th hole (his 9th hole of the day), said goodbye to his playing partners and walked directly to his car. From the Golf Channel:

He started with a par on the 10th hole, but made double-bogey on 11. He later added a triple-bogey and two more bogeys, hitting three balls into water hazards during those eight holes.

On No. 18 – his ninth hole of the day – McIlroy hit an approach shot just short of the greenside bunker, then picked up his ball, shook hands with playing partners Mark Wilson and Ernie Els, then quickly left the premises.

Rory will now have 14 days to provide the PGA Tour with a medical excuse for his withdrawal. Is “pissed” a medical condition? How about drunk? He’ll probably have that excuse in a couple hours. McIlroy missed the cut in his first tournament of the season at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January. Then he lost in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship. McIlroy was the defending champion of the Honda Classic.

Update: Per our good buddy Jason Sobel.

Now, is this excuse like when a grandparent “dies” and you can only use it so many times? Or is wisdom tooth pain chronic?

[Golf Channel, Getty]