McIlroy closes US season in style
Rory McIlroy hurries to finish a damp squib season in rainy Chicago on Sunday. Rory McIlroy closed a bitterly disappointing PGA Tour campaign by carding successive 68s in the weather-delayed BMW Championship - the first time all season he has broken 70 in consecutive rounds.
It took him only two and a half hours each day to do it too, a sign perhaps that thinking too much has been part of the problem for the former world No 1.
McIlroy had been in last place after dismal opening rounds of 78 and 77 but was sharing 60th place in the 70-man field when he finished his final round as the bad-weather hooted sounded in Chicago.
Fortune was smiling on McIlroy for once this season as he headed out of town. After a long delay, just a few more holes were possible before fairways and greens started to flood and play was suspended until Monday.
For the fourth straight day, McIlroy’s round included a double bogey. he was three under par when he came to the 458-yard 10th, where he hooked his drive into trouble, chipped out and took four more to get down from 146 yards.
He responded with an eagle two at the 12th, where he holed his 164-yard approach. He had another eagle chance at the driveable 15th but had to settle for a two-putt birdie from 18 feet.
A bogey at the 17th, where the took three from the edge of the green, was followed up a chip and putt par at the last.
Graeme McDowell had played just four holes in one under when play was suspended at 11am. He got in another handful of holes when play resumed some threee and a half hours later, dropping two shots, but was tied 48th on three over with 11 holes to play when play was suspended again for the day due to torrential rain.
Like McIlroy, he was certain to miss out on a place at next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
McIlroy needed a top-eight finish this week to secure the top-30 spot in the FedEx Cup rankings which would have guaranteed his place in the concluding play-offs event. McDowell needed a top-five.
Overnight leader Jim Furyk had yet to begin his final round and only six players - McIlroy, Kevin Chappell, Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Charley Hoffman and Scott Piercy - managed to finish.
Furyk, who fired an incredible 59 on Friday, went into the final day a shot ahead of Steve Stricker with Brandt Snedeker a further stroke back. Tiger Woods was also in contention four shots behind Furyk.
McIlroy now has four weeks off to recharge his batteries before embarking on an intense run of events in Asia, starting with the Kolon Korea Open from October 17.
McDowell is due to get married later this month but will first play world No 35 Graham DeLaet in an exhibition, The Match at Cabot Links, said to be Canada’s first and only true links course, on September 23.