After a rough opening round, Rory McIlroy made a valiant effort to win the second leg of the calendar Grand Slam. Ultimately, he was undone by what’s normally a strength of his game.
McIlroy finished at four under for the week at Aronimink and five shots behind Aaron Rai, who pulled away late. But shockingly, the two-time reigning Masters champ played the course’s two easiest holes in only even par for the four rounds. Of course, we’re talking about the two par 5s, No. 9 and No. 16.
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That’s a pretty shocking stat for one of the greatest drivers ever and a man who usually feasts on par 5s. For the season, McIlroy ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in par-5 scoring and second in birdie-or-better percentage on those holes.
Looking to mount a charge on Sunday, McIlroy roasted his drive 379 yards down the right side of the fairway on No. 9. But he came up short from about 200 yards with his 7-iron approach and failed to get up and down.
On No. 16, an errant drive right forced him to layup and he wound up having to make a four-footer just to save par.
“Not birdieing the two par 5s,” McIlroy said after when asked by CBS’ Amanda Balionis about what kept him from having a great round on Sunday. “And then making a bogey at the drivable par 4 13th. That was, to me, I played the golf I needed to play the rest of the way.”
Overall, the six-time major champ finished tied for 77th in par-5 scoring out of the 82 players that made the cut at the PGA Championship. Oh, what could have been.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
