Riley: Rory Mcllory is Box Office but he isn’t Tiger Woods!

Rory McIlroy’s Close Call at BMW PGA Championship Highlights Unfair Expectations, Says Wayne Riley

Rory McIlroy came tantalizingly close to victory at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, only to be narrowly defeated by Billy Horschel in a gripping play-off finish. After birdieing the 18th hole, McIlroy watched as Horschel sank a stunning eagle to clinch the title, marking yet another near miss in what has been a season of frustrating finishes for the world No. 3. This latest defeat came just a week after McIlroy was similarly edged out at the Irish Open by Rasmus Hojgaard in the closing stages.

Sky Sports Golf analyst Wayne Riley praised McIlroy for his resilience but suggested that fans may be placing unrealistic expectations on him, potentially comparing him to the legendary Tiger Woods. Riley noted that McIlroy’s performance, especially under pressure, was remarkable, but cautioned against expecting the kind of dominance that Woods exhibited during his prime.

“He finishes eagle, birdie, so that guy down there [who said Rory bottled it] should hang his head in shame,” Riley remarked, addressing criticism McIlroy had received for not securing the victory. “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.”

Riley continued, emphasizing McIlroy’s ability to deliver in the most high-stakes moments. “That is what you get from McIlroy. You get box office, you get pure theatre. He is just a great player, everybody loves him.”

However, Riley was quick to draw a distinction between McIlroy and Tiger Woods, whose dominance over the sport placed him in an entirely different league. “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,” Riley said.

McIlroy, who has won twice on the PGA Tour this year, remains one of the most celebrated players in the game, yet Riley urged fans to ease their expectations. “Everyone should leave him alone,” he concluded.

Former PGA champion Rich Beem also weighed in on McIlroy’s latest disappointment, acknowledging the emotional toll that these near-misses might have on him. “It will weigh on him,” Beem told Sky Sports. “He’s a competitor at the highest level, and he wants to win every time he tees it up – it’s just not possible.”

Beem noted that as one of the sport’s biggest stars, McIlroy is constantly under the microscope. “People want to slay the giants and Rory is definitely a giant in this game, so people want to take him down,” Beem said. “He is going to get knocked down a bunch more in his career, but he is going to dust himself off, get back up, and get right back into the fight.”

Reflecting on McIlroy’s performance at Wentworth, Beem pointed out that, despite not being at his best, McIlroy fought hard to stay in contention. “It didn’t sound like he had his best body of work out there, but he grinded it out,” Beem observed. “He made that eagle on the 17th that propelled him and gave him an opportunity to win this thing outright, but he just couldn’t get it done.”

Beem, however, emphasized that McIlroy’s effort should not be viewed as a failure. “I don’t look at it as much as losing,” Beem said. “Coming off the heels of a very disappointing loss last week, getting in the play-offs and giving himself a chance, that’s nothing to get down about. He just came up a little bit shy.”

As McIlroy continues to chase further success, it’s clear that while the pressure may be immense, his resilience and determination remain undeniable.