Rory McIlroy's immediate reaction to latest near-miss speaks volumes about his character

Rory McIlroy's cruel play continued with different agonising adjacent miss connected Sunday arsenic Billy Horschel snatched BMW PGA Championship triumph astatine Wentworth, but the Northern Irishman has reasons to believe

Rory McIlroy is assured that large victories are astir the country contempt his brutal play continuing successful a cruel decision to the BMW PGA Championship connected Sunday.

McIlroy changeable a five-under-par final circular astatine Wentworth, including a magnificent eagle astatine the 17th, to unit his mode into a three-way playoff with Billy Horschel and Thriston Lawrence successful Surrey. The trio were locked astatine 20-under-par earlier Lawrence was eliminated aft the archetypal playoff hole, carding a bogey portion McIlroy and Horschel recovered birdies.

The brace returned to the 18th tee to bash it each implicit again and went changeable for changeable successful a thrilling finale, with some mounting up mid-range eagle chances. McIlroy's ball was a fraction extracurricular Horschel's and went first, drifting his effort millimetres past the cupful earlier tapping successful for a birdie.

Horschel, thus, had the accidental to win the celebrated tourney for a 2nd time if helium could drain his eagle attempt, and the Florida native's effort ne'er near the centre of the cupful arsenic helium became the lone American to win doubly astatine Wentworth aft his 2021 triumph.

It was the 2nd week successful succession that McIlroy had missed retired connected a large triumph successful the astir melodramatic of circumstances, having mislaid retired connected Irish Open glory by a azygous changeable to Rasmus Hojgaard astatine Royal County Down 7 days previously. And Sunday's result continued a bruising play for the Ulsterman, who has failed to triumph since blowing a aureate accidental to extremity his decade-long large title drought astatine the US Open successful June.

But arsenic his hold for a triumph drags on, McIlroy is heartened by his signifier and believes helium volition get his rewards soon. Moments aft congratulating Horschel, McIlroy told reporters: "Last week was a pugnacious one. This one, I near determination with my caput held precocious with the mode I played the past spread trying to marque three, and past yeah, I mean, played the playoff holes perfectly, really, a mates of birdies."

McIlroy had the accidental to triumph the tourney successful regularisation aft Lawrence parred the last, but aft pulling his attack conscionable near of the greenside h2o hazard, helium pitched onto the greenish and his birdie putt narrowly missed the target.

"It conscionable shows the modular retired here," McIlroy continued. "If you gaffe up conscionable a small spot oregon don't marque a birdie connected a important hole, idiosyncratic is ever waiting to instrumentality vantage of that and look, I had my accidental successful regulation. Had a truly awkward yardage for my second. Tried to crook a 4-iron over. I mean, I was fortunate that it didn't spell successful the water. Still got up and down to triumph successful regularisation but I was beauteous fortunate the shot stayed up and I could marque par and get into the playoff.

"Two weeks successful a row, I've played well. Just not rather good enough. But you know, blessed with wherever my crippled is and blessed wherever it's trending. I've got a week disconnected here, and past get backmost astatine it successful the Dunhill successful a mates weeks."