World No.1 Rory McIlroy has apologised for walking off the course in the middle of his second round at last week’s PGA Honda Classic, saying he’s learned from the error and will not do it again.

On the eve of playing his first round at the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship at Doral alongside World No.2 Tiger Woods and England’s Luke Donald, McIlroy said he made a big blunder by leaving early.

“I realised pretty quickly that it wasn’t the right thing to do,” McIlroy said. “No matter how bad I was playing I should have stayed out there.”

Starting on the back nine in his second round last week, McIlroy had two bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey before hitting his tee shot at the 18th into the water and walking off the course.

“I wasn’t in a good place with my golf game. My head was all over the place,” said McIlroy, who blamed the walkoff later on a sore wisdom tooth that he said did hurt but was no excuse.

“It was a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes,” McIlroy said. “Most of my mistakes are in the public eye.

“I’m 23. I’m still learning.

“I have learned from it and it won’t happen again.”

McIlroy said that he has received many supportive comments since the incident and hopes it will help him as he tries to return his swing to the formidable form that brought him the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship titles.

“In the long run I think Friday will be a blessing. It was like a release valve,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy also dismissed the idea his woes came because he and girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki, the former women’s tennis World No.1 from Denmark who lost a first-round match a week ago at the Malaysian Open, were breaking up.

“Just because I have a bad day on the golf course and Caroline loses a match in Malaysia does not mean we are breaking up,” McIlroy said. “I’m looking forward to seeing her next week.”