PGA Tour: The most dominant players of the West Coast Swing

Rory McIlroy’s West Coast record largely mirrors Leishman, except of course that  expectations are higher for the multiple major champion.

On the Coast, McIlroy lived up to those expectations, in the process suggesting that he has re-established himself as a front-rank contender in those upcoming majors. His three starts all yielded top 5 finishes.

At the Sentry TOC, McIlroy trailed third-round leader Woodland by only three strokes – two closer than eventual champion Schauffele – but failed to mount a Sunday kick.  His final 72 left him in a tie for fourth, eight behind Schauffele.

At the Farmers, he spotted eventual champion Justin Rose eight strokes in the first round, and found that handicap too great to overcome. Still, McIlroy actually bested Rose 203-204 over the final three rounds, tying Day and Jon Rahm for third.

First round issues again handicapped McIlroy at the Genesis, where his opening 72 spotted J.B. Holmes nine shots. Again, McIlroy beat Holmes and the other challengers across the final three rounds, but that resulted only in a tie with Leishman for third, three behind the champion.

The principal drawback to McIlroy’s placing higher on this list was volume. His starts were all strong, but there were just three of them. The three players ahead of him also delivered consistent excellence, but they did so across four or five starts.