Rory McIlroy openly acknowledged that he remains dissatisfied with his swing as the season‑closing Tour Championship approaches, even though he came tantalisingly close to winning at the BMW Championship. The Northern Irish star described his recent form as "far from where it needs to be" after a lackluster showing at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he finished 66th out of 68 competitors.
In stark contrast, his performance in St. Louis showed a marked improvement. At Bellerive Country Club, the world No.
2 birdied 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 level with Clark on the final day.
Despite staying tied for the lead with three holes remaining, McIlroy ultimately slipped to third place, four strokes behind Clark, who closed out the tournament with a three‑birdie finish to secure a three‑shot victory and his third PGA Tour win of the year. "I'm closer [to where I want to be] than I was at the start of the week," McIlroy admitted, but added, "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 also noted, "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 recovered from bogeys on the fourth and seventh holes, then rattled off three birdies over a four‑hole stretch beginning at the eighth. This surge brought him level after Clark had posted a three‑over score through the first ten holes. The competition intensified as Clark reclaimed the lead with a 15‑foot birdie on the 16th and followed it with a birdie on the subsequent par‑five, while McIlroy dropped a shot on the same hole.
Clark added another birdie on the 18th to widen his 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." He praised his back‑nine performance, noting, "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." The pivotal moment arrived on the 16th when Clark sank a crucial putt for a two‑stroke swing, 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 explained.
He remained optimistic, stating, "Overall, 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 chose to lay up, eventually making a birdie, while McIlroy’s attempt to reach the green resulted in a bunker‑to‑bunker scramble that ended in a tournament‑ending bogey. "I tried to get it up a bit too far," McIlroy conceded.
"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 builds 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. Golf fans worldwide will be watching closely to see who can seize the final points and claim the season‑long honor. The upcoming rounds promise high drama, with every shot potentially reshaping the leaderboard and determining the ultimate champion of the year.