Rory McIlroy missed out on an additional $2.24m (£1.64m) after finishing third at the BMW Championship, having been tied for the lead with three holes remaining. The Northern Irishman has admitted he is concerned about his swing heading into the season-ending Tour Championship.
Final-round slip
McIlroy birdied three of his final four holes in the third round to move within five shots of leader Wyndham Clark, setting up a place in last Sunday's final against the US Open champion. He drew level with Clark on the final day, but despite sharing the lead with three holes to play, he slipped to third place, four shots back.
Clark finished with three straight birdies to secure a three-stroke win and his third PGA Tour title of the season.
McIlroy's honest assessment
Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy said: "I'm closer [with his game] than I was at the start of the week. I'm still not in a spot where I'm super happy with where my game is or where my swing is, so I just have to keep working on it."
"It's nice to know, even when I'm not super happy with everything, I can still piece it together and get it around and still give myself a chance to win tournaments."
The world No.2 gained two shots on the opening hole, then recovered after dropping shots at the fourth and seventh. He reeled off three birdies in four holes from the eighth onwards, drawing level as Clark played his opening 10 holes three over par.
Clark's decisive surge
Clark surged ahead with a 15-foot birdie on the 16th, before picking up two additional shots at the par-five 17th. He registered a birdie while McIlroy dropped one, then added another birdie at the final hole to extend his winning margin over Patrick Cantlay.
"I felt like most of my game held up today," McIlroy added. "Obviously, going out in the final group and you're working on some stuff, you're just hoping that everything stays the way it is.
"I hit it well on the back nine. I gave myself plenty of chances. I just couldn't get a putt to drop there in those final few holes. I always felt like I needed to just get my nose ahead to really try to put the pressure on Wyndham [Clark] and I couldn't."
"We were tied there for a few holes and then when he made that putt on 16 for a two and I couldn't answer - that was obviously a huge moment in the round and in the tournament. Overall, encouraged with how I played this week and certainly something to build on going into East Lake."
Prize money and next steps
Clark earned $3.6m (£2.64m), while McIlroy took home $1.36m (£1m). Cantlay, who finished second, bagged $2.16m (£1.58m).
Despite believing he should have secured victory, McIlroy refused to let disappointment creep in. "I can't be," he continued. "I'm probably not playing well enough to be disappointed that I didn't win. I had my chances on the back nine and hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in.
"Wyndham Clark stepped up when he needed too. His birdie on 16 was huge and the way he played the last three holes, he showed a lot of character."
McIlroy will now turn his attention to the Tour Championship at East Lake GC, which gets under way on Thursday, 27th August. He'll be vying for the FedExCup title and the $10m top prize, with only the leading 30 players in the standings earning their place at the event.
