Rory McIlroy: Time to Give Rory The Respect He Deserves

Rory McIlroy had another difficult Sunday finish at The Arnold Palmer Invitational. Entering the final round 1 shot off Matthew Fitzpatrick’s lead, Rory limped to an even-par 72, finishing 2 shots behind Fitzpatrick and 4 behind eventual champion Francesco Mollinari.

This is the continuation of an alarming trend for the Northern Irishman; so far in the 2018-19 PGA Tour season Rory McIlroy is sporting a 69.3 average score in rounds 1-3 but a 70.5 scoring average in the final round.

So, with the Masters less than a month away, is there cause for concern? Will McIlroy continue to struggle in the final round? Is he not “clutch”?

To be frank, Rory’s lack of Sunday prowess has been disturbing. Scoring over one stroke worse on Sunday is a concerning trend, and you have to question if he has some mental scars from this stretch of final round struggles.

And, as fans, we are attracted to exciting Sunday finishes; look at the way Francesco dominated Bay Hill on Sunday afternoon and shot a flawless 64. It is uninspiring to see a player of Rory’s stature be unable to put together a final round of this quality.

With all of this being said, we need to appreciate how well Rory is playing. In 6 PGA Tour starts this season, he has four top-fives and a T6th place finish at Bay Hill.  That is incredible! Playing golf consistently at that high of a level is nearly impossible and we often forget that if it not punctuated with a win.

To further put it in perspective, the four-time Major Champion is tied for the 2nd most top 10 finishes this season. Only Gary Woodland has more, and he has played in four more events than Rory.

To hammer the point even more, Rickie Fowler only has three top 10’s while playing in seven starts, and Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson have two top 10’s in six and seven starts respectively. Rory’s run is incredibly impressive, and it just reiterates that playing 72 holes of high-level golf is quite a difficult task. We should know; most of us can’t hit three good shots without the round falling apart (well, maybe that’s just me).

So yes, Rory’s final round struggles are not ideal. But I think the argument made by some that he cannot compete and close tournaments is absurd; the man is a four-time major winner! If his performance at Vahalla wasn’t “clutch” then we may have different definitions of the word.

Rory McIlroy is playing at an absolutely elite level, and this run of top finishes speaks well to his game. There’s no way he cannot be considered one of the favorites at next month’s Masters, and I’d bet on him completing the career Grand Slam and slipping on that green jacket this spring.