Rory McIlroy sees another Masters slip from his hands

There was a moment on the 11th tee on Saturday at Augusta National when Sergio Garcia had run to the restroom and Rory McIlroy had already smoked his tee shot down the middle of the fairway, one of the few good shots he'd hit to that point.

Rory fumbled around in his golf bag, grabbed a wrapped sandwich, and planted himself on the wooden benches that adorn each tee box at the most hallowed grounds in golf.

And he sat. And he ate. And there a brief second where, turkey sandwich in mouth, he starred straight ahead, looking at nothing but thinking about everything. His eyes didn't blink. His mouth didn't chomp on any nourishment. He just simply starred ahead like any other person having a bad day at the office.

But this wasn't just any office, obviously, this was the site of what was expected to be his return to glory. A year ago, McIlroy shot a final-round 80 after leading the Masters by four shots when most hoped he'd start his major championship run much the same way his predecessor, Tiger Woods, did. And of course, he didn't.

McIlroy ended his Saturday campaign in 77 gruesome shots, making just a single birdie on his first 14 holes and shooting himself out of contention after just 11 holes, similar to his 2011 final round. He never seemed to have it from the start, making a double-bogey to start his round and finishing the front with three 6's on his card.

So those brief moments on the 11th hole, Rory just sat and looked and thought and debriefed. No fans were yelling his name. His caddie was steps away, leaving the young phenomenon to wallow in another missed opportunity.

Before Saturday started, most had Rory on the top of their lists to be the next green jacket recipient. He had grown, matured, and has played the best golf of anyone in the last five months.

But sometimes you just don't have it. Rory admitted to that after his round, candidly confessing that it just wasn't his day.

Legends have bad rounds. Nicklaus had them here. Tiger has sure had his fair share. And even Phil Mickelson struggled early in his career at Augusta National. We must all remember that there is simply one champion that comes for the Masters each year, and if Rory keeps putting himself there, it will happen.

But on the 11th tee, sitting there as dejected as a professional golfer can be, Rory McIlroy knew his Masters was over. Lucky for him, his playing partner, Sergio Garcia, was in a similar boat, and the one shining moment came just a hole later.

Sometimes, all you really need is a hug.