Rory McIlroy was beaten by Billy Horschel at the second play-off hole in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth; McIlory birdied the 18th hole before Horschel eagled it; Sky Sports Golf's Wayne Riley believes fans are expecting too much of McIlroy and might be comparing him to Tiger Woods
Monday 23 September 2024 12:57, UK
Wayne Riley hailed "box office" Rory McIlroy but added that Tiger Woods was "in a different stratosphere" to the world No 3 after his latest near-miss at Wentworth.
McIlroy missed out on a second BMW PGA Championship title as Billy Horschel prevailed in a thrilling play-off finish, one week on from also being edged out at the Irish Open by Rasmus Hojgaard over the closing stages.
It adds to a season of agonising finishes for McIlroy, which includes him faltering down the stretch in pursuit of a fifth major at the US Open, and Riley believes the expectations placed on McIlroy are too much from fans.
"He finishes eagle, birdie, so that guy down there [who said Rory bottled it] should hang his head in shame," Riley said.
"If this guy was a bottle job, that is just pure class. He was out of it kind of and he played his way back into it.
"That is what you get from McIlroy, you get box office, you get pure theatre. He is just a great player, everybody loves him.
"At the end of the day, we saw a great player in Tiger Woods and he was in a different stratosphere and they expect Rory to be like that. It isn't going to happen.
"He has won twice on the PGA Tour [this year] and that is not easy to do. McIlroy is McIlroy so everyone should leave him alone."
Also discussing McIlroy's latest near miss was former PGA champion Rich Beem. "It will weigh on him," he told Sky Sports.
"He's a competitor at the highest level and he wants to win every time he tees it up - it's just not possible.
"People want to slay the giants and Rory is definitely a giant in this game, so people want to take him down.
"He is going to get knocked down a bunch more in his career but he is going to dust himself off, get back up and get right back into the fight."
Beem added: "It didn't sound like he had his best body of work out there, he grinded it out.
"He made that eagle on the 17th that propelled him and gave him an opportunity to win this thing outright but he just couldn't get it done.
"I don't look at it as much as losing. Coming off the heels of a very disappointing loss last week, getting in the play-offs and giving himself a chance, that's nothing to get down about. He just came up a little bit shy."
McIlroy himself was not disappointed in his performance at Wentworth and believes he did well to draw himself back into the contest.
Indeed, he is ready to "dust himself off" and get ready for the final three events of the year.
"I felt like down the stretch I was a bit scrappy. I was missing greens but not by that much and I felt a little bit off, especially with the irons," McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"I had a good iron shot into 14 and converted that and I felt like I played certainly the last three or four holes very well. I just didn't convert the putts.
"A bonus on 17 with the eagle that got me right back in it, then I just had awkward yardage on 18.
"With what I am trying to do with my golf swing, I kind of revert back to old habits when I am under the gun like everyone does.
"I think if I keep working on the things I am working on on the range, that only bodes well for the future.
"To work on my swing but still go out there and have a really good chance to win, I am proud of that.
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"I am excited for the future. I am playing well, I keep giving myself chances.
"Only two people have beat me in the last two weeks or only one person I guess in terms of scores.
"I am happy with how I am playing. I just have to dust myself off and get myself ready for the last three events of the year."
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