Rory McIlroy calls himself golf’s ‘Nearly Man’ after medal chance slips

Rory McIlroy’s streak of near-misses continued on Sunday during the final round of the Olympic golf tournament. Despite a strong comeback, McIlroy’s efforts fell short when he hit his second shot into the water on the par-4 15th hole, resulting in a double bogey. At the time, McIlroy had made five consecutive birdies on the back nine, closing the gap to just one shot behind the leaders. He had gained nearly six strokes on Jon Rahm, the leader.

Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy said, “When I got to 10 and 11, I looked at the board and I was 14 under, and Jon had got to 20. I didn’t feel like I had a chance. Then I birdied 14 and saw I was one behind and thought, ‘holy sh-t, what just happened.’ Even with the wedge shot on 15, I hit the shot I wanted, but I didn’t get the ball in the air enough for the wind to carry it the extra 3 or 4 yards I needed. Tried to stay aggressive and land a wedge between the front edge and the hole. Missed my spot by nearly 3 or 4 yards and that ended up costing me a medal.”

McIlroy’s shot from 140 yards, intended to set up another birdie, instead led to a double-bogey 6. He finished with a round of 66, tying for fifth place, two shots short of the bronze medal and four shots behind the winner, Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 62 to win gold. Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama secured second and third place, respectively.

This finish was not as devastating as McIlroy’s final holes at the U.S. Open, where a back-nine lead evaporated due to three late bogeys, including a missed 4-footer on the final hole, costing him a playoff against winner Bryson DeChambeau. Nonetheless, the result was disappointing. “I feel like I’ve been golf’s Nearly Man for the last three years,” McIlroy admitted. “I obviously want that tide to turn and go from the Nearly Man to back to winning golf tournaments. It’s all well and good saying I’m close and close and close. Once I actually step through the threshold and turn these near misses and close calls into wins, that’s what I need to do.”

This year, McIlroy has won three times: at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and at the Wells Fargo Championship. However, he struggled at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and came close to adding another major title at the U.S. Open before withdrawing from the next tournament due to distress. McIlroy finished tied for fourth at the Scottish Open but missed the cut at the British Open prior to the Olympics.

“I had a wedge in my hand on 15 and you birdie that and get to 18-under and tied for the lead,” he lamented. “Any medal is possible at that point.” McIlroy plans to watch other Olympic events before returning to the U.S. for the FedEx Cup playoffs in two weeks.