Rory McIlroy finished third at the BMW Championship on Sunday, four strokes behind winner Wyndham Clark, after overturning a five-shot deficit on the final day before falling short over the closing holes.
The world number two admitted afterwards that he is still not happy with his swing heading into the season-ending Tour Championship, despite producing a much-improved performance in St Louis.
McIlroy described his game as "so far away" from where it needed to be following a forgettable week at the FedEx St Jude Championship, where he had finished 66th in a 68-man field.
Comeback at Bellerive
McIlroy birdied three of the last four holes of his third round at Bellerive Country Club to get within five strokes of leader Wyndham Clark, setting up a Sunday pairing with the US Open champion.
He then pulled level with Clark during the final round, capitalising on a two-shot swing at the first hole and recovering from bogeys at the fourth and seventh with three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the eighth, as Clark played his first 10 holes in three over par. McIlroy remained tied for the lead with three holes to play before eventually finishing third, four strokes back, as Clark closed with a three-birdie run to complete a three-shot win over Patrick Cantlay for his third PGA Tour title of the season.
McIlroy on his swing
"I'm closer [with his game] than I was at the start of the week," McIlroy said. "I'm still not in a spot where I'm super happy with where my game is or where my swing is, so I just have to keep working on it.
"It's nice to know, even when I'm not super happy with everything, I can still piece it together and get it around and still give myself a chance to win tournaments."
Clark has also won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the US Open this season.
Final-round battle
McIlroy said his game largely held up under pressure. "I felt like most of my game held up today," he said. "Obviously, going out in the final group and you're working on some stuff, you're just hoping that everything stays the way it is."
"I hit it well on the back nine. I gave myself plenty of chances. I just couldn't get a putt to drop there in those final few holes. I always felt like I needed to just get my nose ahead to really try to put the pressure on Wyndham [Clark] and I couldn't."
Clark edged ahead with a 15-foot birdie putt at the 16th, a moment McIlroy called decisive. "We were tied there for a few holes and then when he made that putt on 16 for a two and I couldn't answer, that was obviously a huge moment in the round and in the tournament. Overall, encouraged with how I played this week and certainly something to build on going into East Lake."
Both players found the rough off the tee at the par-five 17th. Clark laid up and made another birdie, while McIlroy went from bunker to bunker and carded a tournament-ending bogey. Clark then birdied the last to extend his winning margin.
"I tried to get it up a bit too far," McIlroy said of his approach at the 17th. "I should have been taking that left bunker out of play. If you're going to lay it up, lay it up, so just another stupid decision with a lay-up on a par-five that cost me."
Asked by CBS Sports whether he felt he deserved the win, McIlroy said: "I can't be too disappointed. I'm probably not playing well enough to be disappointed that I didn't win.
"I had my chances on the back nine and hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in. Wyndham Clark stepped up when he needed to. His birdie on 16 was huge and the way he played the last three holes, he showed a lot of character."
What's next
McIlroy will be chasing a record-extending fourth FedExCup title at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, where only the top 30 players in the season standings are eligible to compete for the FedExCup and a $10m first prize.
Live coverage of the tournament begins Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.
