PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rory McIlroy is a lot of things.
- â€Šï€ He is one of the best golfers in the world.
-  He is a two-time major championship winner at age 24.
-  He is the product of terrific parents, Gerry and Rosie, both of whom sacrificed a lot when he was younger to make way for his success.
- He is wealthy behind his wildest dreams after growing up modest middle class on the outskirts of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
-  He is engaged to Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
McIlroy also is a really good learner. When McIlroy makes a mistake — lowlighted by his meltdown at last year’s Honda Classic when he quit in the middle of his second round — he learns from it.
That brings us to Sunday, when McIlroy will try to close out the lead he has built a lead at the Honda Classic at PGA National, where he shot a 1-under-par 69 on Saturday. McIlroy, who is at 12-under par, leads his nearest pursuer, Russell Henley, by two shots.
Russell Knox is three shots back at 9-under and Jhonattan Vegas is four back at 8-under. Tiger Woods, who shot 65, is seven shots back at 5-under with little chance to overtake McIlroy.
McIlroy, who has led after all three rounds this week, has taken the lead into the final round of a tournament four times in his career, winning three of them. The one he failed to close out was the 2011 Masters, when he hemorrhaged a four-shot final-round lead and lost by 10 shots after shooting 80.
Since then, he is 3-0 with a 54-hole lead, winning the 2011 U.S. Open two months after that Masters disaster, winning the 2012 Honda Classic, which elevated him to the No. 1 in the world at the time, and winning the 2012 PGA Championship.
“Definitely not a coincidence,’’ McIlroy said Saturday when asked whether that 2011 Masters experience had a positive effect on the way he’s handled final-round leads. “I learned a lot that day. I learned exactly how not to protect a 54 hole lead. I went out there being very protective, very cautious … and I should have just stuck to the game plan, stuck to my process, not look at the leaderboard, not look at what other people are doing.
“So it was a huge learning day in my career. I learned a lot from it and that’s the reason that every 54 hole lead that I’ve had since I’ve been able to close the deal. Hopefully I can keep that run going [Sunday].’’
McIlroy, who did not win in 2013 while adjusting to his new Nike clubs and the elevated expectations that came with being No. 1 in the world, has not won a PGA Tour event since the BMW Championship in September 2012.
Nevertheles, he will draw upon a lot of things on Sunday, not the least of which is his 2012 Honda Classic win after he took a two-shot lead at 11-under par into that final round.
“Being under pressure like that on this golf course should stand to me [Sunday],’’ McIlroy said. “I’ve got the experience of going into the final day here with a 54 hole lead and coming out on top, so those memories should stand to me. This golf course is all about not making mistakes.’’
McIlroy’s history suggests that he rarely makes the same mistake twice, and that very well could lead to a wire-to-wire victory for him by Sundown Sunday with both his parents and Wozniacki on hand to watch.