Rory McIlroy openly acknowledged that he remains dissatisfied with the state of his swing as the season draws to a close with the Tour Championship, even though he came tantalisingly close to clinching the BMW Championship title. After a lackluster performance at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he finished 66th out of a 68‑player field, McIlroy turned a corner in St.
Louis with a markedly better showing. At Bellerive Country Club, the world No.
2 birdied three of the final four holes in his third round, pulling within five strokes of the leader, Wyndham Clark, and earning a Sunday showdown with the US Open champion. By the final day, McIlroy had actually matched Clark, sharing the lead with three holes remaining. Despite that surge, McIlroy ultimately slipped to third place, finishing four strokes behind Clark, who sealed a three‑shot victory with a late three‑birdie run to claim his third PGA Tour win of the year. "I'm closer [with my game] than I was at the start of the week," McIlroy said, but he was quick to add, "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." He reflected on the resilience of his game, noting that even when he isn’t completely satisfied with every aspect of his swing, he can still piece together enough of a performance to stay in contention.
"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," he explained. McIlroy’s round began with a two‑shot advantage on the first hole, and after stumbling with bogeys on the fourth and seventh, he rebounded spectacularly, stringing together three birdies over a four‑hole stretch starting at the eighth.
This surge brought him level with Clark after the American posted a three‑over‑par score through the first ten holes. The momentum shifted again when Clark responded with a 15‑foot birdie on the 16th and followed it with a two‑shot birdie on the next par‑five, extending his lead as McIlroy dropped a shot.
Clark capped his round with another birdie on the 18th, widening his margin over Patrick Cantlay and solidifying the win. McIlroy praised the overall steadiness of his game that day, saying, "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." He felt he had hit many good shots on the back nine and created plenty of scoring opportunities, but the putts that could have turned the tide simply didn’t drop. "I always felt like I needed to just get my nose ahead to really try to put the pressure on Wyndham [Clark] and I couldn't," he admitted.
The pivotal moment arrived on the 16th when Clark made a crucial birdie, a shot McIlroy was unable to match. "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," McIlroy said. Despite the disappointment, he remained optimistic about the week’s overall performance, viewing it as a foundation to build on heading into the Tour Championship at East Lake.
Both competitors encountered trouble off the tee on the par‑five 17th. Clark elected to lay up, a conservative play that ultimately led to a birdie, while McIlroy’s aggressive approach sent his ball into a bunker, forcing a scramble that resulted in a tournament‑ending bogey. Reflecting on that decision, McIlroy conceded, "I tried to get it up a bit too far.
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 too. 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 pivots toward its climax at the Tour Championship, held at East Lake Golf Club.
Only the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings will compete for the coveted $10 million first prize and the season‑ending FedExCup title. As the field narrows, the pressure intensifies, and every decision—whether to lay up or go for the green—can make the difference between victory and a near‑miss. Fans worldwide will be watching closely to see if McIlroy can translate the lessons from his recent round into a winning formula at East Lake, or if Wyndham Clark will continue his dominant run and secure the FedExCup crown.