Coming here was a Classic mistake
McILROY ADMITS TRICKY, TIGHT COURSE WAS TOO TOUGH FOR HIM AND HIS PUTTING WAS ALSO POOR
RORY McILROY will not be rushing back to play in the RBC Heritage Classic after the world No1 recorded his worst finish on the PGA Tour for nearly two years.
The Northern Irishman ended up tied 41st on the tight South Carolina course – 11 shots behind winner Webb Simpson.
It was the lowest he has finished since the WGC-HSBC Champions in October 2018.
McIlroy, who had not played at Harbour Town since 2009, says he did not enjoy the tight and tricky tree-lined course.
He said: “Once I got here and I played the golf course, I sort of remembered why I haven’t been here for a while. It’s tough.
“It’s a lovely place. But there are other courses on Tour that probably fit my game a little bit better, and obviously the week after the Masters [when this tournament is traditionally held] is always a tough one.
“Guys like to come here and decompress, but my idea of decompression is not seeing golf clubs for a week.You had to hole a lot of putts, and I didn’t. But I’m still pretty happy with how I played.” McIlroy, who will tee up at the Travelers
Championship on Thursday, had recorded seven consecutive top-five finishes before a tied 31st at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.
In South Carolina, he passed a second Covid-19 test after
Nick Watney became the first PGA Tour player to fail one at a tournament.
Tyrrell Hatton, the 54-hole co-leader, also blamed his usually hot putting after his final round of 66 left him two behind Simpson in third place. “I had a chance today,” said the world No16, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational before the Tour went into lockdown.
“It’s funny how this game can bite you. It was the best I’ve been from tee to green and the worst I’ve putted.”
Simpson birdied five of his final seven holes for a 64 to finish one clear of Mexico’s Abraham Ancer. The win takes Simpson to No5 in the world rankings.
He wore a yellow shirt for the final round on Father’s Day because it was the favourite colour of his late father Sam.
Four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka credited a swing session with Butch Harmon – and a full recovery from his knee injury – for his best result of the year.
The world No4 missed three months last autumn and struggled on his return but he had a session with the swing guru in Las Vegas and shot a final-round 65 to finish seventh.
“Any time you can see Butch, it’s going to help,” Koepka said.
There are other courses that fit my game better