Rory must find cure for driving ills on the road to Medinah

Rory McIlroy was in a philosophical mood after failing to capture the FedEx Cup $10m bonus at the Tour Championship East Lake, Atlanta, on Sunday.

Yesterday, McIlroy headed to Medinah, Chicago, to join his European teammates ahead of the Ryder Cup with his confidence high but with work to do on his driving which cost him dearly at vital stages in Georgia.

McIlroy, who started the final round tied for fourth, three shots behind winner Brandt Snedeker, shot 74 to finish nine off the pace and 10th overall.

He didn’t hit a fairway on the front nine and found just two on the back.

“I’m a little disappointed but at the same time, Brandt really deserved to win,” McIlroy admitted. “If you look at his stats throughout the week, he played the best golf. He knew what he needed to do. He needed to come in here and win. He controlled his own destiny just like I did, and he was able to come and do that. So because of that, he deserved it.”

McIlroy, who was competing in the FexExCup play-offs for the first time, admitted his attitude changed when he missed a 7-footer for birdie at the par-5 ninth hole. He played marginally better on the back nine, shooting even par with two birdies and two bogeys, but the damage had been done.

“Most of the back nine I was just trying to consolidate second place in the FedEx, if I’m honest,” the 23-year-old said.

“I was still trying to play well and trying to make a few birdies, but I didn’t want to try to force the issue and drop anymore spots. So I just tried to hang on to that second position. I didn’t even know on the last whether I needed that putt or not to stay in second. But I holed it anyway, which was nice.”

McIlroy finished second in the points list and picked up a mere $3 million!

The round of 74 ended a string of 11 consecutive rounds in the 60s for McIlroy, who has had a stellar summer. He won the PGA Championship by eight strokes, then captured the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship in consecutive weeks to bring his total for the year to four wins.

Even with an off week, though, sustaining that level of performance over the four weeks of the play-offs proved too much.

“That is the beauty of these play-offs,” McIlroy said. “You’ve got to treat it like a four- or five-week tournament but it’s great, I think it adds excitement to the end of the year.”

Tiger Woods hit a four iron to 18 inches to birdie the par three 18th on Sunday but still finished no better than in a share of 8th and 3rd in the FedEx points list. “I just didn’t have it this weekend,” he said. “I wasn’t sharp.

However, Woods was pleased with his putting. He had 28 on Sunday for a 115 total which left him tied for 4th among the field.

He agreed: “More than anything, I think this week my short game was really dialled in I chipped and putted really well.

“I need to hit the ball a little better than I hit it certainly this weekend. I hit it great the first day, but after that it wasn’t very good. Considering where I was at last year, it’s nice to be where I’m at now. I was obviously struggling with my health last year, and this year I was able to turn it around and I played some pretty good golf this year which was good.”