Rory McIlroy openly acknowledged that his game still falls short of his own expectations as the season draws to a close with the Tour Championship, even though he came agonisingly close to clinching the BMW Championship title. The Northern Irish star reflected on a tumultuous week that began with a disappointing performance at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he finished 66th out of 68 competitors, and then dramatically improved his play in St.
Louis. At Bellerive Country Club, McIlroy surged back into contention by birdieing three of his final four holes in the third round, narrowing the gap to just five strokes behind the leader, Wyndham Clark. That surge set up a Sunday showdown with the US Open champion, and the two remained dead‑locked heading into the final round.
Despite staying tied for the lead with three holes remaining, McIlroy ultimately slipped to a third‑place finish, four strokes behind Clark, who sealed a three‑shot victory with a three‑birdie finish 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 after the round. "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 added, "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 took advantage of a two‑shot swing on the opening hole and rebounded from bogeys on the fourth and seventh holes by stringing together three birdies over a four‑hole stretch beginning at the eighth.
This run brought him level with Clark after the American posted a three‑over round through the first ten holes. However, Clark responded with a decisive 15‑foot birdie on the 16th and followed it up with another birdie on the next par‑five, while McIlroy dropped a shot. Clark’s birdie on the 18th extended his winning margin over Patrick Cantlay.
Reflecting on his overall play, 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 [Clark] and I couldn't." He continued, "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 trouble off the tee on the par‑five 17th. Clark chose to lay up, positioning himself for a birdie, while McIlroy’s aggressive approach sent him from bunker to bunker, culminating in a tournament‑ending bogey. "I tried to get it up a bit too far," McIlroy admitted afterwards.
"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 heads into its climax at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, where only the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings will compete for the coveted $10 million first prize and the season‑long championship title. Fans will be watching closely to see who can capitalize on the momentum built in the final events and ultimately claim the FedExCup crown.