Rory McIlroy left to rue three holes that crashed his PGA Championship chances
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa.— Rory McIlroy knows exactly why he was never able to make a real run at winning the PGA Championship on Sunday at Aronimink.Three holes cost him the chance to win his seventh major championship, third in the past two years and second in a row.McIlroy failed to birdie either of the two par-5 holes — Nos.
9 and 16, both of which were birdie festivals for many players in the tournament.He took disappointing pars on both.And he bogeyed the 299-yard driveable par-4 No.
13 with an errant tee shot that sailed way right of the green.“Not birdieing the two par 5s and bogeying the drivable par 4,’’ McIlroy said.“Looking back, I’ll rue those three holes.
I played the golf I feel like I needed to play the rest of the way … other than those three holes.“If I birdie those par 5s and turn that five [on 13] into a three, the day looks very different.’’McIlroy, one of the game’s biggest hitters, finished even par on the par 5s during the week.By contrast, the PGA winner, Aaron Rai, went 3 under par on the par 5s on Sunday and was 6 under for the tournament.Jordan Spieth’s 11th attempt at completing the career Grand Slam passed this week with not enough putts made.Spieth finished tied for 18th after shooting 69-72-69-68 and finished 1 under par, never truly putting himself into contention over the weekend.Spieth’s ball-striking was excellent all week, as he ranked No.1 in the field in accuracy and third in strokes gained tee to green.But he was ranked 79th in the field in strokes gained putting and his 31 putts per round ranked 58th.He’ll have to wait another year, for the 2027 PGA Championship at PGA Frisco in Texas, his home state.Even though neither won the PGA on Sunday, the lives of both Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid, who were paired in the final group, changed significantly.Smalley, who took a two-shot lead into the final round, finished tied for second after shooting even par to finish 6 under.
Schmid shot a 1-under 69 and ...