Sky Sports Golf on-course commentator Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley has leapt to the defence of Rory McIlroy after a spectator at Wentworth was heard shouting ‘McIlroy is a bottle job’ following another tough loss on the DP World Tour.
McIlroy, aged 35 years, looked only for a birdie shot at a par-5 on the 18th hole in regulation play for another career BMW PGA title.
That was after he made a nervy eagle from about 50 yards on the last, the par-5 17th to level terms with South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.
Ko wanted the water with his second shot on the 18th and he missed it Nudging for a par, the World No.3 got lucky.
It resulted in a three-man playoff, where Lawrence, after playing par on the last two holes, squared it with Billy Horschel, the player who birdied the last two holes while playing with McIlroy.
Lawrence then self-destructed out of the playoff when he absolutely flushed the first hole for the playoff – the par-5 18th – and birdies for Horschel and McIlroy sent them back down the 18th.
McIlroy and Horschel then both split the fairway and hit superb second shots into the heart of the green to set up eagle chances.
The Northern Irishman would narrowly miss his putt, leaving the stage clear for the American.
Horschel stepped in and drained his putt into the heart of the cup to etch his name on the BMW PGA trophy for a second time in four years.
The runner-up finish marked the second in a row for McIlroy, who was already still coming to terms with having fallen short to Rasmus Hojgaard at the Irish Open in front of his adoring home fans at Royal County Down seven days previous.
He was labelled on social media that Sunday as ‘the most infuriating golfer of all time’.
McIlroy’s toughest loss this season came three months ago when missing two short putts on the closing holes to hand LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau a second US Open title.
It was a defeat that saw him take a short break away from the game.
Just moments after Horschel defeated McIlroy, Sky Sports Golf duo Nick Dougherty and on-course commentator Riley caught wind of a spectator storming out of Wentworth shouting out ‘McIlroy is a bottle job’.
Although Riley did not quite get his facts straight in his response to viewers*, the Australian did leap to the defence of McIlroy.
He did claim McIlroy is nowhere near where Tiger Woods was in his prime though.
Riley said of McIlroy:
He finishes eagle, birdie, so that guy down there [who said McIlroy bottled it] should hang his head in shame.
*McIlroy did not; he finished eagle, par
“If this guy was a bottle job, that is just pure class. He was out of it kind of and he played his way back into it.
“That is what you get from McIlroy, you get box office, you get pure theatre. He is just a great player, everybody loves him.
“At the end of the day, we saw a great player in Tiger Woods and he was in a different stratosphere and they expect Rory to be like that. It isn’t going to happen.
“He has won twice on the PGA Tour [this year] and that is not easy to do. McIlroy is McIlroy so everyone should leave him alone.”
McIlroy was consoled by his wife Erica and daughter Poppy as he trudged off the back of the 18th and into the car park.
As for McIlroy himself, he is looking to take the positives into the final three events of the DP World Tour season.
McIlroy will next be in action at the Dunhill Links alongside his father Gerry next week, before heading over to compete in the DP World Tour Playoffs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in November.
Of his latest near-miss, McIlroy said:
“I felt like down the stretch I was a bit scrappy. I was missing greens but not by that much and I felt a little bit off, especially with the irons.
“I had a good iron shot into 14 and converted that and I felt like I played certainly the last three or four holes very well. I just didn’t convert the putts.
“A bonus on 17 with the eagle that got me right back in it, then I just had awkward yardage on 18.
“With what I am trying to do with my golf swing, I kind of revert back to old habits when I am under the gun like everyone does.
“I think if I keep working on the things I am working on on the range, that only bodes well for the future.
“To work on my swing but still go out there and have a really good chance to win, I am proud of that.
“I am excited for the future. I am playing well, I keep giving myself chances.
“Only two people have beat me in the last two weeks or only one person I guess in terms of scores.
“I am happy with how I am playing. I just have to dust myself off and get myself ready for the last three events of the year.”
Going into the last sunday at nearby Jumeirah, the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland trail Lawrence by about 1,500 points in the DP World Tour Rankings as he tries to equal the record set by Spain’s Seve Ballesteros that features six Harry Vardon trophies in the Race to Dubai.