Another week and another sting for Rory McIlroy. When he described himself as golf’s ‘nearly man’ last month, he surely had no idea how closely he would live up to his words.
As with the Irish Open seven days earlier, he departed the BMW PGA Championship as the runner up and caught in that middle ground between the pride of a fine week and the regret of not sealing the deal. It’s been the theme of his season.
This time it was Billy Horschel, the West Ham-supporting American, who passed him on the line by nailing a 25-foot eagle putt for victory on the second play-off hole. Full credit to him – he has now won twice in the past four editions of the tournament.
But he, and all others, were acutely aware that it might have gone differently, which specifically relates to what played out for McIlroy on the 72nd hole, the last in regulation.
When McIlroy stood on the 18th fairway with a four iron in his hand, and riding the high of a 46-foot eagle on the 17th, which had bought him a share of the lead with Thriston Lawrence, he was one good swing away from having two putts to win.
Billy Horschel celebrated winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth
The American beat Rory McIlroy (left) in a three-man playoff tie at Wentworth
Horschel nailed a 25-foot eagle putt for victory on the second play-off hole
What followed was not as head-scrambling as the late three-putt that wrecked his card in Ireland but it was a bad time for an error – his shot into the par from 250 yards bent into a devilish hook and dropped into the rough on the wrong of the water guarding the green.
Needing an up and down for birdie, he could only manage par for a round of 67 and he was still processing the impending thought of a play-off with Lawrence when Horschel wrapped up his own birdie-birdie finish to join them on 20 under.
After one extra hole, Lawrence was gone from that race and after two Horschel had the beating of McIlroy, as well. For McIlroy, the pain of a close call has become far too familiar.
It is worth noting he has still won three times this season, and will likely collect a sixth Race to Dubai crown in November, and that would be an excellent campaign by most standards, but not by his. As the world No 3, and indeed a man without a major victory in 10 years, it has been one of frustration and recurring questions around his ability to close out tournaments, most glaringly in the case of his US Open choke.
This was nothing close to that, in both the event’s meaning, and the way it got away. But it did leave McIlroy somewhat hollow.
‘These things happen,’ he said in the aftermath. ‘It’s just the game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that’s fine.
‘All I can do is keep showing up and trying to play the golf that I’ve been playing and sooner or later it’s going to end up in a win.
McIlroy was left scrambling his head after letting victory slip through his fingers
‘I can’t walk away here anything but with positivity about my game. It could have been (a very different year). If you think of my career as a 30-year career journey, it’s only one year in 30, and hopefully the other 29 are a little more productive.
‘In terms of years where I haven’t been able to get it done, I’ve certainly had years where I’ve felt worse. The thing is, when you get yourself in contention so much, inevitably you’re going to have disappointments. Unfortunately I’m just getting a little too used to the feeling and hopefully that tide will turn.
‘I’m a better golfer than I was five years ago. It’s just a matter of turning these close calls into wins.’
We shouldn’t understate how well McIlroy played this week – his rounds of 67-68-66-67 featured a combined total of just four bogeys, though he was slow from the blocks on a quite brilliant final day.
Starting three behind Matteo Manassero, McIlroy’s bogey at the second was quickly nullified by birdies at the second and third, but then he flat lined with seven straight pars. With Manassero struggling to replicate the form of Saturday’s 63, it initially fell to others to front the chase.
With Lawrence, Horschel, Manassero and England’s Aaron Rai all holding or sharing the lead on the back nine, the run-in was magnificent.
A quick word on Rai in all of that – he scored a breakthrough win on the PGA Tour this season and took his brilliant tee to green to Surrey and supplemented it with excellent putting.
McIlroy believes he can start turning these ‘close calls into wins’ after another strong showing
Thriston Lawrence impressed before tailing off in the three-legged play-off contest
Lawrence failed to birdie on the 18th hole and dropped out of the race for the title
His charge only broke down at the last when entered the water in pursuit of one last birdie. His 67 left him on 17 under.
The wheels also came off for Manassero, while Lawrence failed to birdie either of the closing par fives on 17 and 18. That left room for Horschel and McIlroy in the group behind, and the latter seemed destined to capitalise when his birdies at 12 and 14 were followed by that monstrously long eagle putt at 17, bringing with it a share of the lead for the first time since the opening round
A better approach to the last green and the title would have been his. Instead he, Lawrence and Horschel headed for the play-off on the 18th. Two of them birdied, Lawrence did not and went home.
When McIlroy then birdied it again, he was in good shape, but not good enough – Horschel eagled and a theme had repeated itself.
