McIlroy confident of FedExCup hopes despite near miss in Memphis
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy insist he’s just a few putts away from finding the form he needs to win a fourth FedExCup.
The Holywood star couldn't get the win he needed in the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis to return to depose Scottie Scheffler as world number one.
But after closing with a five-under 65 to finish tied for third with Tommy Fleetwood, just a shot outside a playoff between Patrick Cantlay and eventual winner Lucas Glover, he admitted his game is right where he wants it heading to Olympia Fields for week's second playoff event, the BMW Championship.
"Absolutely," said McIlroy, who improved with the putter as the week wore on. "Tee to green, I felt really good. As I said back at The Open, I found something at the Travelers and it's just been a continuation of that.
"Tee to green. I'm really, really happy and if I can just convert a few more, I'll be right there."
Assessing his week, he said: "I guess it feels like a week of what could have been. Yeah, look, again, everyone in this field could think about the shots that they could have saved over the course of the four days, but I just think with how good my game has felt from tee to green, I could have maybe taken more advantage of that over the last few days.
"But still, it's another really solid tournament. If anything, it's another, I guess, block in the wall in terms of like building the confidence, and from where my confidence was at the PGA Championship in May to where it is now, it's completely different.
"I've been on a nice little run, and I have to keep it in perspective, and I'm feeling really good about everything."
McIlroy began the day five shots behind Glover, believing he might need to shoot 61 or 62 to have a chance.
But the 2009 US Open champion, who led by two strokes from Tommy Fleetwood overnight, could make just one birdie on the front nine.
McIlroy birdied the second, third and fourth to close to within three, then made a 15-footer at the 13th to get within two shots of the lead.
But he couldn't birdie the 16th or 17th from inside 15 feet and while he made a 20-footer at the last for birdie and a 65, it was too little too late.
Playing partner Cantlay tapped in for a bogey-free 64 to finish a shot better than McIlroy on 15-under and was joined in that mark by Glover, who holed some clutch putts down the stretch.
The veteran (43), who was struggling with yips before turning the long putter and winning the previous week's Wyndham Championship, made a 20-footer for par at the 13th and a 30-footer for bogey at the par three 14th, where he dumped his tee shot in the water.
He then birdied the 16th to regain a share of the lead and got up and down from 60 yards at the 17th to remain tied, holing a 10-footer for his par.
He had a putt for the title and back-to-back wins from 23 feet at the last but came up short and tapped in for a 69.
In the playoff, a par four on their return to the 18th was good enough to give him victory after Cantlay found the water from the tee and narrowly failed to save par.
Asked what he'd have said if he'd been told earlier this year that he'd win back-to-back events thanks to his putter, Glover said: "I'd have hired you a therapist.
"No, you work hard no matter what, whether you're fighting something or you're playing great. You just work hard because you never know when it can turn, and it's turned very quickly for me.
"Luckily I've been in a good frame of mind to take advantage of it."
He's now ranked fourth in the FedExCup standings behind Scheffler, Rahm and McIlroy, with Seamus Power down six spots to 35th after a closing 69 left him tied 66th on four-over.
By finishing inside the top 50 who qualify for the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields this week, Power guarantees himself starts in all eight Signature Events in the PGA Tour next year.
However, only the top 30 make the Tour Championship and Power needs a good week in Chicago to make it to Atlanta to have a chance of qualifying automatically for the Ryder Cup or possibly to even earn one of six wildcards.
