Rory McIlroy and the perils of being too good at golf

Rory McIlroy came up short at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this past Sunday, adding to a pattern of missed opportunities. Is it fair to expect more from the four-time major champion?

Rory McIlroy carded a disappointing 72 at the final round of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, finishing four shots behind winner Francesco Molinari. The reigning champion ended up tied for sixth on the leaderboard, moved up four spots in the FedEx Cup rankings and pocketed $295,000. It was his worst outing of 2019.

Enter “Rory McIlroy” in your browser’s search bar and you’ll find a slew of articles discussing the “Sunday Scaries” and his recent final pairing follies. Sunday marked the ninth time in the last 13 months Rory failed to close the deal despite the latest tee time.

McIlroy hasn’t finished outside the top six in 2019, a stretch of tournaments that most PGA Tour pros would consider the best of their careers. He’s the No. 6 player in the official world ranking. Yet, instead of treating this as an accomplishment, the focus falls on his inability to take home hardware.

This isn’t an “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” scenario. McIlroy is a proven winner. Sticking with the analogy, he’s been married 23 times around the world during his professional career. There’s no need to question his ability to hit the clutch shot. He’s earned the benefit of the doubt.

Fans should appreciate the consistency McIlroy’s shown this year instead of focusing on his failure to win any single event. What he’s done so far is phenomenal, and should bolster his confidence, rather than shake it.

Winning matters. That’s not to suggest that McIlroy should be satisfied with close calls, but the situation could be much worse. If this article were about Jordan Spieth in 2019 we’d be talking about cut lines, not trophies.

McIlroy is having a fairy tale season, and one that could culminate in a storybook ending when the Open Championship returns to his homeland of Northern Ireland later this year. If he keeps filling that book with top-10 finishes, it may wind up more nonfiction than fairy tale.

He’s playing better than anybody on tour, and he’s doing it at the right time. With the Players Championship on deck and the Masters only a month away, McIlroy is well-positioned to end his drought in a big way.

McIlroy understands that if you have to have problems, finishing in the top six every week is a pretty good one to have.