PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, March 3 (Reuters) – American Michael Thompson’s victory at the Honda Classic on Sunday certainly came out of the blue after his dreadful early season form.

On the West Coast, the 27-year-old resident of Birmingham, Alabama, missed three of four cuts and finished 78th in his other start.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – American Michael Thompson kept his head in gusty winds to win the Honda Classic on Sunday by two shots from Australian Geoff Ogilvy.

In testing conditions, the 27-year-old Thompson, the joint overnight leader, held firm for his first win on the PGA Tour, ending with a birdie on the 18th for a one-under par 69 which left him nine-under for the tournament.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, March 3 (Reuters) – Tiger Woods struggled to a four-over par 74 in the final round of the Honda Classic on Sunday, ending the week without breaking par once and left saying he need to “clean up” his play.

“I just made too many penalties this week. Today is a perfect example, I didn’t play that poorly. I had two water balls and a lost ball,” he told reporters.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – Golf great Jack Nicklaus said on Sunday Rory McIlroy was wrong to walk off the course at the Honda Classic but said the world number one would be back to his best in time for the Masters next month.

McIlroy withdrew after eight holes of his second round on Friday, initially saying he was in a “bad place mentally” and then later citing toothache.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – You won’t catch Englishman Lee Westwood slipping into a Transatlantic drawl just yet but the 39-year-old from Nottinghamshire is already starting to feel at home in his new base in Florida.

“The quality of life and the ease of life. Nothing is a problem really and playing on this tour, you are spoilt really,” Westwood told reporters after his even-par 70 left him two shots off the Honda Classic lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – You won’t catch Englishman Lee Westwood slipping into a Transatlantic drawl just yet but the 39-year-old from Nottinghamshire is already starting to feel at home in his new base in Florida.

“The quality of life and the ease of life. Nothing is a problem really and playing on this tour, you are spoilt really,” Westwood told reporters after his even-par 70 left him two shots off the Honda Classic lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – Australian Geoff Ogilvy heads into Sunday’s final round of the Honda Classic just two strokes back of the lead, refinding his touch with the putter after a poor start to the season.

Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open winner, missed the cut in all four events he played on the West Coast this season, failing to break 70 in any of his rounds.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – Americans Luke Guthrie and Michael Thompson held the lead at eight-under but England’s Lee Westwood and Australian Geoff Ogilvy were just two strokes behind after the third round of the Honda Classic on Saturday.

Rickie Fowler finished with a birdie and an eagle to push himself within three shots of the lead, alongside Charles Howell III, but Tiger Woods was tied in 32nd place, eight strokes behind the leading duo, after a third straight round of even-par 70.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – Tiger Woods carded his third even-par round of 70 at the Honda Classic on Saturday as he undid a promising front round with a double bogey on the 17th.

Woods was nine strokes adrift of the overnight leader Luke Guthrie and was left frustrated at a missed opportunity to close the gap.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (Reuters) – Tiger Woods carded his third even-par round of 70 at the Honda Classic on Saturday as he undid a promising front round with a double bogey on the 17th.

Woods was nine strokes adrift of the overnight leader Luke Guthrie and was left frustrated at a missed opportunity to close the gap.