Missed Opportunities and Missed Fairways: Rory McIlroy's Sunday at Aronimink
Rory McIlroy's Sunday was full of missed opportunities, but with his newfound sense of urgency in major championships, Shinnecock can't get here soon enough. It wasn't St. Andrews.
It wasn't Pinehurst No. 2. But Rory McIlroy will look back on the PGA Championship at Aronimink as a missed opportunity.
On Saturday, he told BBC Sport that he doesn't want majors to pass him by as he has roughly 40 prime opportunities left to win more. I have a feeling he'll be kicking himself over this one. He bogeyed his final four holes Thursday to post an opening 74, immediately putting himself behind the eight ball.
But thanks to a favorable wave draw, some help from Mother Nature, and plenty of good golf, McIlroy was just three shots back heading into Sunday's final round. And then, like it did during the first round—and, if I'm honest, for much of the season—his driver let him down. He couldn't find the short stuff down the stretch, which meant attacking Aronimink's tricky green complexes with short irons was off the table.
Instead, it was hack and hope. And when opportunities did present themselves, he didn't convert. RELATED: It Was Nice to Watch *That* Jon Rahm Again He had less than 200 yards into the par-5 ninth with his second shot, but came up short with a 7-iron.