By Steve Keating
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy could not recall any of the shots he made during a grinding PGA Championship but said he will remember at least one by Michael Block, his final round playing partner on Sunday.
Even when not at the top of his game like he was this week at Oak Hill, it takes something special to upstage the charismatic Northern Irishman, and Block had just the thing a hole-in-one on the par-three 15 that dazzled the golf world.
“Probably not a ton of memorable golf shots hit,” said McIlroy about his own play. “My playing partner today hit a couple memorable golf shots, though.
“It was an amazing golf shot.
“I haven’t really liked the look of it (15th hole), and Michael stands up and hits this lovely little draw-back in off the left wind, and you know, ball goes straight in the hole.
“When it’s your week, it’s your week in a way, and I think with the way the week’s went for him, it was a fitting way to cap off his PGA Championship.”
In the end McIlroy would finish Sunday’s final round with a one-under 69 and a tie for seventh ahead of Block who would sign for a 71 leaving him tied for 15th.
But it was not the kind of result the world number three had expected from himself at the year’s second major.
An over-the-moon Block will return home to his day job on Monday at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, while it is back to the drawing board for McIlroy has he tries to figure out how to get his game back on track.
After missing the cut at the Players Championship and Masters, McIlroy took time off to refocus but still cannot seem to get dialed in.
It was another immensely frustrating week for the four-time major winner who never found any form at the Oak Hill club he is an honorary member of but managed keep in the trophy chase through sheer grit and determination.
“I’ll look back on this week as proud of how I hung in there, and I guess my attitude and sticking to it, not having my best stuff,” said McIlroy summing up his performance. “I feel sort of close but also so far away at the same time. It’s hard to explain.
“I feel like sometimes it was the worst I could have played, but then at the same time, it’s like the best I could have done.
“It’s weird, it just doesn’t feel quite where it needs to be, and again, just need to go back home and work on some stuff.
“I guess just try to figure it out.”
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Rochester. Editing by Sonali Paul)
