The DP World Tour's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club concluded Sunday in thrilling fashion. Billy Horschel outlasted Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence across two playoff holes to claim his second win in Surrey, England. It was yet another heartbreak for McIlroy, who finished runner-up for the second straight week.
McIlroy came painfully close to winning his home tournament last week, falling just short at the Irish Open.
This week, the Northern Irishman once again had a chance in regulation to put the tournament away. He could not do so as Horschel closed birdie-birdie to force the playoff.
Thriston found the water on the first playoff hole, leaving just McIlroy and Horschel. Both men had looks at eagle, but the former just missed. That left Horschel with a putt for the win.
Horschel drained the lengthy eagle putt to win the tournament, leaving McIlroy having to reflect.
“Last week was a tough one,” McIlroy said afterward. “This one — but I left there with my head held high with the way I played the last hole trying to make three, and then yeah, I mean, played the playoff holes perfectly, really, a couple of birdies.
“But it just shows the standard out here. If you slip up just a little bit or don't make a birdie on a crucial hole, someone is always waiting to take advantage of that.”
Rory McIlroy's season of close calls
McIlroy, despite winning twice in 2024, has dealt with heartbreak time and again.
Following a solid start to the year with wins at the Wells Fargo Championship and Zurich Classic, McIlroy was a couple holes away from snapping his decade-long drought in majors. But some untimely poor putts cost McIlroy the U.S. Open, finishing runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau.
He logged another top five at the Scottish Open and again in the Olympics, just missing the podium. The four-time major champion then nearly captured the elusive Irish Open title last week that he wanted to badly. Yet, McIlroy has done a great job keeping his head up among all of the missed calls.
“Two weeks in a row, I've played well. Just not quite well enough,” said McIlroy. “But you know, happy with where my game is and happy where it's trending. I've got a week off here, and then get back at it in the Dunhill in a couple weeks.”
McIlroy will skip this week's Spanish Open and prepare for Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the Old Course in two weeks.
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