Rory McIlroy openly acknowledged that he remains dissatisfied with his swing as he heads into the season‑ending Tour Championship, even though he came agonisingly close to victory at the BMW Championship. After a disappointing showing at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he finished 66th out of 68 competitors, McIlroy produced a markedly better display in St.
Louis, yet he still feels his game is far from where it should be. At Bellerive Country Club, the world No. 2 birdied three of his last four holes in the third round, pulling within five strokes of leader Wyndham Clark.
That surge set up a Sunday showdown with the US Open champion, and McIlroy managed to level the score with Clark on the final day. Despite staying tied for the lead with three holes to play, McIlroy ultimately finished third, four shots behind Clark, who closed out the tournament with a three‑birdie finish to secure a three‑shot win and his third PGA Tour triumph of the season. "I'm closer [with my game] than I was at the start of the week," McIlroy said.
"I'm still not in a spot where I'm super happy with where my game is or where my swing is, so I just have to keep working on it. It's nice to know, even when I'm not super happy with everything, I can still piece it together and get it around and still give myself a chance to win tournaments." McIlroy capitalised on a two‑shot swing on the opening hole and recovered from bogeys on the fourth and seventh holes.
He then rattled off three birdies in a four‑hole stretch beginning at the eighth, pulling level after Clark had stumbled on his first ten holes, playing three over par. The back‑and‑forth battle continued through the middle of the round, with both players trading birdies and pars. Clark eventually pulled ahead with a 15‑foot birdie putt on the 16th, followed by another birdie on the par‑five 17th after laying up and positioning his approach perfectly.
McIlroy, meanwhile, dropped a shot on the 17th and was forced to make a difficult bunker shot on the 18th, which resulted in a tournament‑ending bogey. Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy said, "I felt like most of my game held up today.
Obviously, going out in the final group and you're working on some stuff, you're just hoping that everything stays the way it is. I hit it well on the back nine. I gave myself plenty of chances. I just couldn't get a putt to drop there in those final few holes.
I always felt like I needed to just get my nose ahead to really try to put the pressure on Wyndham and I couldn't. We were tied there for a few holes and then when he made that putt on 16 for a two and I couldn't answer—that was obviously a huge moment in the round and in the tournament. Overall, I'm encouraged with how I played this week and certainly something to build on going into East Lake." Both competitors found themselves in the rough off the tee on the par‑five 17th. Clark elected to lay up, a decision that ultimately led to a birdie, while McIlroy chose a more aggressive line, ending up bunker‑to‑bunker and carding a bogey.
"I tried to get it up a bit too far," McIlroy admitted. "I should have been taking that left bunker out of play.
If you're going to lay it up, lay it up, so just another stupid decision with a lay‑up on a par‑five that cost me." When asked whether he felt he deserved the win, McIlroy told CBS Sports, "I can't be too disappointed. I'm probably not playing well enough to be disappointed that I didn't win.
I had my chances on the back nine and hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in. Wyndham Clark stepped up when he needed to. His birdie on 16 was huge and the way he played the last three holes, he showed a lot of character." The PGA Tour season now reaches its climax at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, where only the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings are eligible to compete for the $10 million first prize and the coveted FedExCup trophy.
Fans will be watching closely to see whether McIlroy can fine‑tune his swing in time to contend for the final title, or if Clark will continue his surge and add another major accolade to his résumé. The drama promises to unfold over the next few days, with live coverage available on Sky Sports Golf and streaming options on NOW for viewers without a contract.