“I didn't play well enough to win today, and that was the short story of it.”
A typically honest assessment from Rory McIlroy, reflecting on his final round of 74 at PGA National that would see him fall into a four-way playoff that was subsequently won by Russell Henley. That may very well be the short story of it, but it would be a disservice to McIlroy to simply leave it at that.
In a dramatic conclusion to the Honda Classic, where each of the contenders were making a succession of mistakes in the heat of Sunday, McIlroy’s second shot from the bunker would find the water on 16. He would follow that with a bogey at the extremely difficult 17th, and looked very much like missing out on a potential playoff at this point.
However, the class of a two-time major winner would shine through on the final hole. After a blistering drive, McIlroy’s second shot from 245 yards was breath-taking. Targeting the tucked away pin on PGA National’s closing par five, the 24-year-old produced the most exquisite of 3-wood shots – sending the ball into the stratosphere with it eventually landing on the ground with the soft grace of a butterfly. Sheer brilliance. It was a timely reminder, just when he would have us believe otherwise, of the immense talent possessed by the Northern Irishman.
Yes, the putt for victory would trickle by, and he would ultimately come up short in extra holes, but that final hole of regulation was an indication that we have a very different Rory McIlroy than 12 months ago.
In the aftermath of the event, the predictable “choker” cries from onlookers were to be heard in all of their blustering tone. There is added relative pressure in any closing situation, whether it be an amateur’s attempt to beat a record score, or win a major championship. Throw into the pot of pressure the extremely difficult (and rather contrived) nature of the closing holes of PGA National, and you have a very challenging psychological battle to contend with.
Of course, it was unquestionably a disappointing conclusion to a week that began with a stunning 63 on Thursday. But McIlroy can take many positives from his four days, ranging from the quality of his play for the most part, the fact that he had a chance to win for the third time already this year, and that he was able to produce the goods when required on that final hole – missed putt aside.
There is an all-too-popular belief, even from those who should know better, that McIlroy is susceptible to crumbling under the pressure of a Sunday. The 2011 Masters is cited as the instigator for this trend, and Sunday at Palm Beach is obviously another reinforcement of that. But yet, curiously, McIlroy’s head-to-head defeat of Adam Scott at the Australian Open was completely ignored by many in their post-round diagnosis. Surely defeating the reigning Masters champion in his native country would be an indicator that perhaps McIlroy can show steel in a final round? Another illustration that selecting your own facts to suit your own opinion is as healthy as ever.
Contrast to last year, McIlroy is putting himself into winning positions consistently. With 7 top ten finishes in his last 9 strokeplay events worldwide, we have a player who is very much close to his best form. And that is something that the other leading players in the game will have to contend with as we approach the meat of the season - with the Masters Tournament now less than 6 weeks away. Eight-shot victories in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship suggest that McIlroy’s best is perhaps better than anyone else in the game – and a performance of that magnitude is threatening to appear once again.
It could have been at the Honda, with his opening round of 63 to build on. But it wasn’t. A few errors on the troublesome back-nine of PGA National ended that opportunity, but these things happen.
As McIlroy reflected after the round: “I haven't been able to sort of walk through that door but I feel like the more times I knock on that door, I'll eventually step through it. This week wasn't to be but hopefully I can get myself back in a similar position and try to do a better job.”
And there are few players knocking on that door more frequently than McIlroy – with back-nine contention also recorded in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He has put himself in position to win. Of course, he would have liked to have claimed at least one victory (and probably should have). But it is far more encouraging to be in the position of actually having chances to win events, (and not closing it out), than it is to not having given yourself any opportunity, such as the present malaise that Tiger Woods has found himself in.
Sunday at the Honda was a blip. Rory McIlroy is firmly a contender again, and will surely soon add to his already stellar list of victories.