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 agonisingly close to winning the BMW Championship. After a lackluster showing at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he finished 66th out of 68 competitors, McIlroy managed to turn a corner in St. Louis, delivering a markedly better performance that put him back in contention.
At Bellerive Country Club, the world number two birdied three of the final four holes in his third round, closing the gap to just five strokes behind the leader, Wyndham Clark. That surge set up a Sunday showdown with the US Open champion, and McIlroy eventually forced a tie with Clark on the final day, demonstrating that his game, while still imperfect, could still produce results when it mattered.
Despite sharing 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 said, adding, "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 emphasized that even when he isn’t completely satisfied, he can still string together enough good golf 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 seized an early two‑shot advantage on the first hole and recovered from bogeys on the fourth and seventh holes, then produced three birdies over a four‑hole stretch beginning at the eighth.
This surge allowed him to level the score after Clark stumbled, posting three over par through his first ten holes. Clark, however, regained the momentum with a 15‑foot birdie putt on the 16th and followed it with a birdie on the next par‑five, while McIlroy dropped a shot. Clark’s birdie on the 18th extended his margin over runner‑up Patrick Cantlay and secured the win.
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." He added that his back‑nine performance was solid and that he gave himself plenty of opportunities, but he couldn’t convert the crucial putts. "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 chose to lay up, eventually birdieing the hole, while McIlroy’s aggressive line sent him from bunker to bunker, culminating in a tournament‑ending bogey. "I tried to get it up a bit too far," McIlroy admitted afterward. "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 victory, 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 toward 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 $10 million first prize and the coveted FedExCup trophy. As the field narrows, the pressure intensifies, and McIlroy’s candid reflections highlight both his lingering frustrations and his determination to refine his swing ahead of the final showdown. The upcoming tournament promises high drama, with fans eager to see whether McIlroy can translate his recent improvements into a victory, or whether Wyndham Clark will continue his dominant run and secure the season‑ending title.