A game of inches, and perhaps millimeters, is golf.
The BMW PGA Championship almost went to a playoff from Rory McIlroy, who shot a final-round score of 67. However, he required an eagle to get to 17 under par and force a playoff with his personal buddy Shane Lowry.
The Northern Irishman reached the green in two on the par-5 18th hole at Wentworth and needed to make a 25-footer to force extra holes in the competition. McIlroy’s putt, in an excruciating turn of circumstances, just missed the cup. In a tie for second place with Jon Rahm.
After the final round, McIlroy commented, “The course was very scorable all this week, especially today,” “I felt I needed to get to 18 to have a chance to win, so I came up a couple short of my target. I really needed that to win outright but, obviously, I was just hoping for a playoff with Shane but really happy for him.”
It was a consolation for McIlroy that Lowry won the match.
Shane’s victory “Shane winning softens the blow,” according to McIlroy. “If it had been someone else, I might not have felt as comfortable with it as I am.” she said.
Even though McIlroy just won the FedExCup championship two weeks ago, the 33-year-old has had a year of near misses. McIlroy has six top-10 finishes from April through August in addition to his two PGA Tour victories in 2022. In every major tournament, he finished in the top 10, including top-3 finishes at the Masters and Open Championship.
The BMW PGA has now been added to McIlroy’s litany of close calls this year. The four-time major champion understands that if he continues giving himself opportunities to win, the wins will ultimately come as he sets off on his mission to win The Race to Dubai.
The law of averages implies that you’re going to receive your fair share the more you put yourself in these circumstances, he said, adding that he didn’t get as much momentum from today as if he had won the contest.
“I feel like I stole one a couple weeks ago at East Lake,” McIlroy continued. “I didn’t quite get over the line today, but you keep putting yourself up there and you keep playing good golf, enough are going to fall your way.”
Original article posted on Golfchannel.com
Photo Credit: skysports.com
