Rory McIlroy has admitted it was the wrong decision to withdraw from the Honda Classic, mid-round, last Friday.

The world number one told Sports Illustrated, “It was a reactive decision.”

"What I should have done is take my drop, chip it on, try to make a 5 and play my hardest on the back nine, even if I shot 85. What I did was not good for the tournament, not good for the kids and the fans who were out there watching me - it was not the right thing to do."

McIlroy walked off the course while seven over par after just eight holes. He walked directly to his car from the course, only stopping briefly to tell reporters he was in “a bad place mentally” before driving to his home.

In the immediate aftermath of his withdrawal it was reported that his management could not reach the 23 year old. A short while later a statement was released saying McIlroy had been suffering from pain due to a wisdom tooth and this had affected his game and that of his playing partners and was the reason for his withdrawal.

The Co. Down man has come in for criticism from many in golf over his walk off. Jack Nicklaus said, "If he would have thought about it for five minutes, he probably wouldn't have done it. He's a good kid and tries to do the right thing but unfortunately that wasn't."

The incident will add to an already pressured start to the year. Before last weekend’s withdrawal he had missed the cut at his first tournament of the year, in Abu Dhabi, before a first round loss to Shane Lowry at the WGC Match Play. At seven over McIlroy seemed set to miss his third Saturday in a row.

His poor form has been magnified by his endorsement deal with Nike, which is reportedly the world’s richest sports endorsement deal and has seen McIlroy switch to a new set of Nike clubs, but so far with less than positive results.