NO QUESTION
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Rory McIlroy came to the PGA Championship with a lot of questions, based on his monthandahalf long layoff after he injured his left ankle playing soccer with friends.
He did not win the tournament, but by Sunday, he had answered most of the questions about his health and his form, finishing 17th by himself, at 9under.
“If I’m looking at it as a whole, I feel like I’ve done well to come back and shoot the scores that I have,’’ McIlroy said. “I feel like I progressed each and every day. I’m walking away pretty happy with how the week went. Obviously, it isn’t a win and I didn’t get myself into contention, but considering six weeks ago I wasn’t able to walk, it’s not a bad effort.’’
McIlroy said he had “no discomfort’’ in his ankle.
“It’s good to play golf,’’ he said. “As you can see out there, I’m hitting it the same distance as I have been, and able to get around 18 holes very easily. So it’s not an issue.’’
McIlroy also is not making an issue out of losing the No. 1 ranking to Jordan Spieth. McIlroy held the spot for 55 consecutive weeks before Spieth, who had been No. 2, wrested it away Sunday.
“I’ve always said that winning golf tournaments takes care of all of that stuff,’’ McIlroy said. “Right now I’m focused on just getting my game the way I think it has to be to win tournaments like this.’’
McIlroy is skipping the first FedEx Cup event, The Barclays, Aug. 2730 at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., and plans to return for the Deutsche Bank, Sept. 47 at TPC Boston.
Dustin Johnson, author of the infamous gaffe in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, when he grounded his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole, took himself out of contention early in the final round.
Johnson, who began the day at 9under, six shots out of the lead, took a quadruplebogey 8 on the first hole and followed that with bogey on Nos. 3 and 4 to go 6over par through four holes.
He played his last 14 holes in 9under par, shooting 69 and finishing 12under.
“What a day,’’ Johnson said. “What a comeback. “After that kind of start, your round can go one or two ways. I played really well from [No. 1] on into the house. Definitely proud about that. It gives me a lot of confidence, a lot of momentum going into the next few weeks.’’
Jason Day’s win marked the 17th time in the last 20 PGA Championships that the winner came from the final pairing.
McIlroy called Day’s win “a huge monkey’’ off the Australian’s back.
“Obviously he’s had so many chances,’’ McIlroy said. “It’s been four years of knocking on the door, knocking on the door.’’
Phil Mickelson finished 8under after a 69 Sunday.
“I’m close,’’ Mickelson said. “I’m sick of saying that. I’m tired of not being there yet. It keeps getting better and better and I keep hitting more and more good shots each round, but I keep making some dumb mistakes. And at this level, some of the mistakes I’m making, you just can’t do.’’ South African Branden
Grace, who was tied for the lead on the 17th hole in the final round of at the U.S. Open before hitting his tee shot out of bounds, was in the mix at the PGA, finishing third at 15under after a finalround 69.
“Obviously I’m getting closer in the majors, which I want to do,’’ he said.