Rory McIlroy is confident of being fully recharged heading to both the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup after a flagging mid-field finish in the BMW Championship in Indianapolis.
McIlroy was running virtually on the smell of an oil rag and revealing after a closing day 72 for a three-under par tally just how desperate he was for the Tour’s mandatory week’s rest this week ahead of the September 22nd season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
His Crooked Stick showing has seen McIlroy drop to No. 6 on the FedEx Cup standing effectively meaning that if he is to capture the prized FedEx Cup he must win the Tour Championship.
After starting with a solid 68, McIlroy battled over the next three rounds with just eight birdies but also nine bogeys on a rain-softened Crooked Stick course.
But the biggest concern was again the shortest club in McIlroy’s bag recording 128 putts over the four days to average 31.5 putts a round compared to third round leader, Dustin Johnson who had average 25 heading into the final day of the Euro 7.5m event.
Rory McIlroy is confident of being fully-charged heading to the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup. (Photo – PGA Tour/Getty)
“It’s been a frustrating week but I’m just tired, really tired and while it’s my third week in a row competing, it’s my sixth week on the road and I am just to get back to sleeping in my own bed for the coming week,” he said.
“Also I feel that my Deutsche Bank win took a lot more out of me than I thought and more so than I’ve felt in the next week after I’ve won in the past.
“I don’t what it was as I was walking around but then I had six intensive days with a few things before I teed-up in the Barclays and then playing in the Barclays, winning the Deutsche Bank and then coming here to the BMW.
“So following my round here on Friday I was just so tired and that’s all anyone should read into my efforts this week. The good thing is that I found something on the greens last week in Boston and I just I didn’t have that this week.
“As I was saying at the Barclays and also last week that it’s going to be like that for a while and all I can do is keep working on it.
“So my message is there’s nothing wrong with Rory and nothing that getting the batteries recharged will surely cure.”
And while McIlroy will continue working on his game at the exclusive Bears Club back home at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida, he will be watching with interest news of Davis Love 111’s USA three Hazeltine ‘wildcard’ picks at 4pm Irish time later today (MON).
“It’s going to be interesting who Davis will pick, so I will be paying attention to his announcement,” he said.
“Some of the Americans this week have made a good case for a pick and there’s a few others who haven’t so we shall see.”
Fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell will also be casting an eye on Love’s picks after a closing 72 to be tied with McIlroy. McDowell had moved to three under in total with back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 but then bogeyed three of closing five holes.
And with McDowell having dropped out of the FedEx Cup top-30 it means the end of his PGA Tour season till jumping back in the deep end on October 31st in Las Vegas for his start to the 2016/17 wraparound season.
