Rory McIlroy was tied for the lead with three holes to play at the BMW Championship but fell short, missing out on a significant sum after finishing third
Rory McIlroy failed to pocket an extra £1.64m at the BMW Championship(Image: Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy has admitted he’s worried about his swing heading into the season‑ending Tour Championship after missing out on an extra $2.24m (£1.64m) by finishing third at the BMW Championship. He birdied three of his final four holes in the third round to close within five shots of leader Wyndham Clark, earning a spot in last Sunday’s final against the US Open champion.
McIlroy drew level with Clark on the final day but despite being tied for the lead with three holes remaining, the Northern Irishman slipped to a third‑place finish, four shots back. Clark finished with three straight birdies to secure a three‑stroke win and his third PGA Tour title of the season.
Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy admitted: “I’m closer [with his game] than I was at the start of the week. 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.
“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.”
The world No.2 gained two shots on the opening hole, then recovered after dropping shots at the fourth and seventh. He embarked on a strong spell, reeling off three birdies in four holes from the eighth onwards.
That enabled him to draw level as Clark faltered and played his opening 10 holes three over par. Clark surged ahead with a 15-foot birdie on the 16th, before picking up two additional shots at the par-five 17th.
He registered a birdie while McIlroy dropped one. Clark then added another birdie at the final hole to extend his winning margin over Patrick Cantlay.
“I felt like most of my game held up today,” McIlroy added. “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.
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“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.
“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, encouraged with how I played this week and certainly something to build on going into East Lake.”
Despite believing he should have secured victory, McIlroy refused to let disappointment creep in. “I can’t be,” he continued.
“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.”
Clark earned $3.6m (£2.64m), while McIlroy took home $1.36m (£1m). Cantlay, who finished second, bagged $2.16m (£1.58m).
McIlroy finished third at the BMW Championship(Image: Getty Images)
McIlroy will now turn his attention to the Tour Championship at East Lake GC, which gets under way on Thursday, 27th August.
He’ll be vying for the FedExCup title and the $10m top prize, with only the leading 30 players in the standings earning their place at the prestigious event.
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