Poor start blew any hopes I had of lifting trophy, admits Mcilroy
RORY Mcilroy’s search for a 2020 success goes on after another nightmare front nine ‘rut’ ended a final-round challenge before it had even begun.
The World No.1 had gone into Sunday three shots off the top of a packed leaderboard at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial CC as the PGA Tour returned to action following the coronavirus shutdown.
However, for the third time in four starts, Mcilroy saw a chance to secure a first win since November evaporate in an over-par final round, the damage once again done on the front nine.
This time, the Holywood star found himself six over at the turn and eventually carded a fourover-par 74 to finish six under for the week, nine behind eventual winner Daniel Berger.
The result ends Mcilroy’s run of seven consecutive top-five finishes as he came in tied 32nd.
“I got off to a really bad start,” he confessed. “The wind was up. You didn’t have to be that much off for it to show. I missed a couple of greens in the wrong spots and made bogeys.
“I played all the way to the end and shot a decent back nine but on the front, I got into a rut and played a bad run of holes. That put me out of the tournament.”
Berger secured his third PGA Tour victory, and first since 2017, when he edged Colin Morikawa in a play-off, the pair both finishing on 15 under for the week.
Bogeys at the 17th ultimately cost Bryson Dechambeau and Xander Schauffele places in the play-off, the latter thanks to the most cruel of lip-outs.
Mcilroy and compatriot Graeme Mcdowell, who missed the cut at Colonial, will aim to put their frustrations behind them when they tee it up at the RBC Heritage event at Harbour Town, South Carolina this week.