Rory McIlroy's heartwarming family moment says it all as cruel season continues

Rory McIlroy shared a touching infinitesimal with his loved ones successful the aftermath of yet different harsh adjacent miss for the four-time large champion arsenic Billy Horschel snatched triumph astatine Wentworth

Rory McIlroy was consoled by his woman Erica Stoll and their girl Poppy arsenic his play of heartache continued astatine Wentworth connected Sunday.

McIlroy was pipped to the BMW PGA Championship title by the finest of margins, with Billy Horschel taking triumph with an eagle on the 2nd playoff spread successful Surrey. The Northern Irishman has not won since helium blew a two-shot pb over the last 5 holes astatine the US Open successful June, continuing his 10-year drought astatine the majors.

Cruel results person followed, narrowly missing retired connected an Olympic medal successful August earlier being made to wage for 2 sloppy bogeys precocious successful his last circular astatine the Irish Open arsenic Rasmus Hojgaard snatched the triumph astatine Royal County Down. Sunday's climax astatine Wentworth continued a brutal tally for McIlroy, who had a accidental to triumph the tourney connected the 72nd spread but his birdie putt slipped past the cup.

Locked astatine 20-under-par, McIlroy, Horschel and Thriston Lawrence headed to a three-man playoff. The South African was eliminated connected the archetypal other hole, making a bogey portion his rivals carded birdies.

McIlroy and Horschel returned to the 18th tee and went toed to toed successful a thrilling finale, with some men mounting up eagle opportunities. But portion the Northern Irishman narrowly missed with his effort, Horschel recovered the bottommost of the cupful to go the archetypal American to triumph this celebrated tourney doubly aft his triumph successful 2021.

McIlroy responded classily, wearing a rueful grin arsenic helium congratulated Horschel connected his victory. The 35-year-old took attraction of his media obligations earlier heading for the exit, wherever helium was greeted by his loved ones.

A video of the infinitesimal was uploaded to the DP World Tour's societal media channels, with McIlroy holding his four-year-old girl tightly arsenic helium asked sweetly: "Have you had a bully day?" Shortly after, Stoll came into changeable and shared a buss with her husband.

McIlroy admitted helium has had a pugnacious clip connected and disconnected the people this twelvemonth successful an quality connected RTE's Late-Late Show past week. The four-time large champion referred to his little separation from Stoll aft helium announced successful May their matrimony was "irretrievably broken" and they were seeking a divorce.

One period later, the mates announced they had reunited. "Over the past weeks, Erica and I person realized that our champion aboriginal was arsenic a household together," McIlroy said. "Thankfully, we person resolved our differences and look guardant to a caller beginning.”

Addressing a hard year, McIlroy told Late-Late Show big Patrick Kielty: "I deliberation sometimes beingness tin get a batch and it tin get excessively much," helium said. "There’s been a batch going connected this year, golf-wise and past evidently personal-wise arsenic well. I had to instrumentality a small spot of a interruption and get distant from the crippled much than thing else.

"Golf and the concern of play had go each consuming for maine for the past mates of years and I needed to instrumentality a spot of clip distant to realise what was really important to me. Friends, family, enjoying myself, enjoying the information you were this small lad successful Holywood and you’ve grown up to beryllium immoderate it is that I americium and I request to bask that time."