Rory McIlroy heads to this week’s PGA Championship in South Carolina with an ‘anticipation’ of a second Major success after sharing fifth place in the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
The result is McIlroy’s third straight top-10 finish in the $US 8.5m event won in dramatic fashion by American Keegan Bradley.
Bradley will now travel to Kiawah Island and his defence of this week’s Major in the best form possible form in coming from four shots behind at the start of the final day to post a final day six under par 64 and defeat fellow Americans Jim Furyk (69) and Steve Steve Stricker (64) by a stroke with a 13 under par tally
Rory McIlroy says he now has a sense of 'anticipation' heading the PGA Championship. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
It is Bradley’s third PGA Tour success but a first in 53 weeks since capturing the PGA Championship in his Major’s debut in Atlanta.
Furyk was bitterly disappointed after having led for three rounds and looking to claim an 18th PGA win but his first-ever wire-to-wire.
However the 43-year old Furyk handed success to Bradley on a $US 1.4m first prize cheque gleaming plate when he doubled the last.
After a near three-hour thunderstorm delay just after 9am local time, McIlroy emerged from watching TV coverage of Andy Murray’s Olympic gold medal demolition of Roger Federer to birdie his second and third holes.
McIlroy then lipped out on a number of other occasions before a bogey at nine and his only other birdie at the 15th in an eventual score of 68 to share fifth place with certain Medinah Ryder Cup colleague, Justin Rose.
“I’ve now heading to the PGA will a lot of anticipation and more so than at the start of the week,” said McIlroy.
“It’s the last Major of the year and you want to do well given also it’s about another eight months to the Masters.
“So after my effort this week I do seriously feel I can win a second Major Championship.
“The Bridgestone has been a decent week and while I had a lot of chances out there today, I played very solid.
“I found a bit of sparkle in my game yesterday and even more so today with my greens in regulation a lot better as that has aspect in my game has been down of late.
“So everything is very encouraging.”
Luke Donald will retain his World No. 1 crown heading to Kiawah Island finishing tied eighth with World No. 2 Tiger Woods.
Donald shot a closing round 70 and with Woods a 66 but with the 14-time Major winning needing to win this week to have any chance of unseating the Brit.
Graeme McDowell dropped three shots in his opening three holes in a final round 72 for a share of 24th place on two over par.
While Michael Hoey’s Bridgestone debut is a week he would rather forget after a last day round of 72 but for a distant share of 71st place on 15-over par in the 75-player remaining field.
