Cloud still hangs over Froome
AT WENTWORTH IT WAS a case of Augusta all over again here for Rory McIlroy yesterday as a spot in the final group again turned to dust two months on.
This time it was Francesco Molinari reprising the role of Patrick Reed as McIlroy stalled at the BMW PGA Championship at precisely the wrong moment to finish two shots adrift of the machine-like Italian, who played his final 44 holes bogey-free.
It was Molinari who produced much the superior golf when it mattered to shoot a final-round 68 in the Surrey sunshine.
Runner-up was an improvement on his fifth place at the Masters but it was a disconsolate McIlroy who reflected on what could have been afterwards.
“It’s disappointing. I put myself in a position and I didn’t get the job done,” said McIlroy.
“I get a bit down on myself because my expectations are high, and with a 36-hole lead, I should have closed it out this week.
“I let Francesco get a few shots ahead on me and I just couldn’t claw that back. He was like a robot. He never missed a fairway.”
Under the pressure of the weekend, Molinari was resolute, but McIlroy ragged – his game held together by Sellotape rather than superglue. There had been hints of trouble on Saturday as the Northern Irishman had struggled early on only to scrap his way back for a share of the lead heading into the final round.
But, fighting technical glitches again yesterday, he could not live with the mechanical efficiency of his Celtic Manor and Medinah Ryder Cup team-mate.
A wayward drive off the first tee was a forerunner of a day of disappointment for McIlroy and the 23,000 fans willing him on. His just seven riders to win all three Grand Tours – Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana – and he joins two all-time greats, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, to hold all three titles at once.
Despite the power and visual drama of Froome’s latest win, the voices of those who question his presence on the Giro, or indeed any race this year, persist too.
The Briton’s failed drugs test last September for salbutamol – an anti-asthma drug permitted only below a certain limit, which Froome’s result broke by almost double – is responsible for that.
“I have a clear conscience,” Froome said. “As I said, when the time is right, all the information will be shared with everyone and I’m sure people will see it from my point of view.”
Froome and Sky refute any wrongdoing. However, David Lappartient, the president of the UCI, cycling’s governing body, said earlier this year he thought Froome should suspend himself from racing while the case is being resolved.
When Froome crashed badly before the Giro’s opening time trial in Jerusalem three weeks ago and began to lose time on many tough stages, his presence in the race seemed almost irrelevant.
Yet Froome’s stage victory on Monte Zoncolan nine days ago reminded the cycling world that he could not be written off.
But the pivotal point of the race came when Froome attacked nearly 80km from the finish on the gravel roads of Colle dell Finestre on Friday – and the previous leader, Briton Simon Yates, began shipping serious amounts of time.
Froome’s startling solo attack was quickly compared to some of the most epic breakaways in cycling history. But it also brought the whole controversy of whether Froome should be racing rushing back into the headlines.
“I can understand the parallels or comparisons being drawn by some people, but I have every confidence it [his long-distance attack] will stand,” Froome said.
Froome’s Giro victory may have shattered one of UK cycling’s most resistant glass ceilings, but Tour de France organisers have expressed discomfort at the prospect of Froome taking part in July if the case drags on. Yet Froome said: “I’m planning to go there and give it everything.”
Spare a thought for Yates. He looked set to win the race until Friday, but his bid collapsed and he came 22nd overall. His display still bodes well for the future.