Rory McIlroy Shoots His Best Round at 2019 Masters, Finishes 5 Under Par

Too little, too late.

Rory McIlroy finished his 2019 Masters with his best round on Sunday, shooting a four-under 68 to go five under for the tournament.

It was a small consolation for a disappointing tournament, though it wasn't enough to get him anywhere near the leaders. At the time of publication (approximately 1 p.m. ET), McIlroy went into the clubhouse in a tie for 21st, punished for shooting just one under across the first three rounds.

McIlroy started on fire, with an eagle on No. 13 and birdies on Nos. 15, 1 and 2. He was six under for the tournament at that point with seven holes left to play, and while he wasn't a major threat to the leaders, he was in a position to shoot up the leaderboard.

But he cooled off from there, finishing his day with bogeys at Nos. 4 and 6 and a birdie at No. 8. It was indicative of his tournament overall, as he could never quite put together a steady stretch of dominant play.

"It's not as if anything is glaringly obvious in terms of what's lacking in my game," McIlroy said after Saturday's round, per Reuters. "It's just been one of those weeks where I haven't quite got the momentum that I needed to get."

A failure to find that momentum at Augusta National has been a theme in McIlroy's career, as his chase for a Masters conquest and a career Grand Slam continues.

And if past precedent is any indication, that was all but decided on Thursday:

So it's back to the drawing board for McIlroy, who came into the Masters as one of the hottest golfers in the game but never quite resembled the player who won the Players Championship in March. Augusta National remains the thorn in McIlroy's side. 

At least for one more year.