Agony yet again for Rory McIlroy as he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to finish runner-up in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
McIlroy went from a three-shot leader on Friday night to the sad Sunday sight of a 20-foot hopeful ‘eagle’ putt that could have tied him for the lead stop inches from the hole.
The Holywood man did birdie his closing two holes but his final round of 70 for a 15-under par tally was two strokes shy of a second victory toast this year.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari gave McIlroy a golfing lesson in easily breaking free of sharing the third-round lead with McIlroy and win by two shots with a last day 68 for a 17-under par total.
It is a third Italian victory toast in the history of the BMW PGA after Costantino (1996) and Matteo Manassero (2013).
The win, and easily Molinari’s biggest in his pro career, now puts the 35-year old in frame to return to the European Ryder Cup team after being on the winning 2012 and 2014 victory sides.
McIlroy had led by three shots heading to the weekend and with many predicting the World No. 8 to drive off with a second BMW PGA success.
It never happened with McIlroy left in the ‘Burma Road’ course overtaking lane on Saturday and then, and aside from his 71st and 72nd holes, finishing-up for the most part of day four in the slow lane.
Indeed, up until the 17th, McIlroy had been the only player inside the top-15 not under par for the day.
“It’s disappointing as I did well to shoot under par on Saturday and give myself a chance today but then I played similar today to the way I did on Saturday and just couldn’t get anything going,” he said.
“My expectations are high and with a 36 hole lead like that i should have closed it out this week. I let Francesco get a lead early on and it was just hard to claw back”
“I did give myself a chance on the back nine but it was a little too late at the end.”
Earlier this year, McIlroy led by two shots with a round to play in the Dubai Desert Classic, and also two clear with three holes to play but lost out while last month he went into the final round of the Masters lying second but never challenged.
McIlroy returns to the States for this coming week’s Jack Nicklaus hosted Memorial and his last event ahead of the June 14th starting U.S. Open.
Graeme McDowell didn’t drop a shot in a four-under par 68 for a nine-under par total and a share of 12th place for his best finish by 11 places in 14 events this season
Shane Lowry grabbed one of just three eagles at the 18th on the last day and throwing both arms up in delight when his curling putt for a ‘3’ found the bottom of the cup.
The eagle helped make amends in ending Thursday’s first round with a double-bogey ‘7’ and a score that included two penalty drops.
Lowry ended his Wentworth week with a second straight round of 70 for a share of 16th place on eight-under par.
“I got off to a great start today but then, and I don’t want to say why me again, I just did not get any breaks with nothing going my way until the last,” he said.
“I felt like I was going to hole that eagle putt at the last because I felt like I deserved it.”
Lowry also joins McIlroy in teeing-up in this week’s Memorial but needs to win if he’s to join McIlroy in the U.S. Open.
Final Scores:
271 F Molinari (Ita) 70 67 66 68,
273 R McIlroy (Nir) 67 65 71 70,
274 A Noren (Swe) 69 68 70 67, L Bjerregaard (Den) 65 73 71 65,
275 K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 68 69 71 67, B Grace (RSA) 69 69 69 68,
276 D Fichardt (RSA) 66 72 71 67,
278 R Cabrera Bello (Esp) 72 68 70 68, R Fisher (Eng) 71 68 68 71, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 67 71 73 67, T Jaidee (Tha) 69 72 69 68,
279 M Kinhult (Swe) 74 67 68 70, G McDowell (Nir) 71 67 73 68, D Burmester (RSA) 66 73 73 67,
280 B An (Kor) 74 68 70 68, S Horsfield (Eng) 67 68 72 73, M Korhonen (Fin) 68 70 70 72, F Zanotti (Par) 69 69 73 69, S Lowry (Irl) 69 71 70 70,
281 J Kruyswijk (RSA) 73 70 73 65, P Casey (Eng) 72 70 69 70, E Van Rooyen (RSA) 70 69 71 71, T Fleetwood (Eng) 70 66 77 68, I Poulter (Eng) 74 67 72 68, R Rock (Eng) 69 68 72 72, M Wallace (Eng) 72 69 69 71,
282 M Manassero (Ita) 75 66 73 68, A Björk (Swe) 71 70 71 70, C Wood (Eng) 72 68 71 71, M Southgate (Eng) 69 72 72 69, D Lipsky (USA) 70 72 73 67, L Jensen (Den) 68 70 71 73, S Gros (Fra) 69 66 73 74, L Westwood (Eng) 70 69 69 74,
283 R Bland (Eng) 67 75 72 69, A Saddier (Fra) 70 70 74 69, A Sullivan (Eng) 71 68 74 70, H Tanihara (Jpn) 69 72 74 68, R Ramsay (Sco) 69 71 71 72, B Hebert (Fra) 70 69 74 70, J Dantorp (Swe) 74 69 71 69,
284 M Kieffer (Ger) 69 71 74 70,
285 S Fernandez (Esp) 74 69 74 68, E Pepperell (Eng) 72 68 74 71, H Li (Chn) 73 66 74 72, R Fox (Nzl) 70 73 71 71, J Suri (USA) 74 67 74 70, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 72 70 75 68, T Detry (Bel) 72 71 73 69, H Porteous (RSA) 74 69 71 71,
286 A Dodt (Aus) 70 73 74 69,
287 P Waring (Eng) 73 68 77 69, G Green (Mas) 72 70 73 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 71 69 76 71, A Levy (Fra) 70 68 75 74, J Wang (Kor) 74 69 70 74, A Pavan (Ita) 73 70 72 72,
288 T Immelman (RSA) 71 68 76 73, B Neil (Sco) 71 69 74 74,
289 M Warren (Sco) 71 72 70 76, B Stone (RSA) 73 70 75 71, T Olesen (Den) 69 70 78 72, N Bertasio (Ita) 68 70 81 70,
290 R Cho (Kor) 74 68 72 76, A Wu (Chn) 72 71 75 72, M Pavon (Fra) 72 67 74 77,
295 D Brooks (Eng) 70 73 78 74,
297 J Heath (Eng) 72 67 78 80,
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