Rory McIlroy openly acknowledged that his swing still falls short of his own expectations as he heads into the season‑ending Tour Championship, even though he came agonisingly close to a win at the BMW Championship. The Northern Irish star reflected on a tumultuous week that began with a disappointing finish at the FedEx St.
Jude Championship, where he posted a 66th‑place result in a field of 68, before dramatically improving 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, pulling within five strokes of the leader, Wyndham Clark.
That surge set up a Sunday showdown with the US Open champion, and McIlroy managed to draw level with Clark on the final day, creating a thrilling head‑to‑head battle. Despite being tied for the lead with three holes remaining, McIlroy ultimately finished third, four strokes behind Clark, who sealed a three‑birdie finish to win by three shots and claim his third PGA Tour victory of the year.
"I'm closer [with my game] than I was at the start of the week," McIlroy admitted, "but 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 capitalised on a two‑shot swing on the opening hole and recovered from early bogeys on holes four and seven. He then produced three birdies over a four‑hole stretch beginning at the eighth, which brought him level after Clark had stumbled with three over his first ten holes. Clark, however, regained momentum with a 15‑foot birdie on the 16th and followed it with another birdie on the next par‑five, while McIlroy dropped a shot.
Clark then added a final birdie on the 18th to widen his margin over runner‑up Patrick Cantlay. McIlroy reflected on his overall performance, 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 continued, "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 trouble off the tee on the par‑five 17th.
Clark elected to lay up, eventually birdieing the hole, while McIlroy’s aggressive approach sent his ball into a bunker, leading to a tournament‑ending bogey. Reflecting on that decision, McIlroy said, "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 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 worldwide will be watching to see who can seize the final opportunity to claim the season‑long title. The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf beginning Thursday at 5 p.m., with streaming options available on NOW without a contract.