Rory McIlroy Calls Himself Golf's ‘Nearly Man’ After Chance Slips Away at Olympics

The Irishman found himself one off the lead after five straight birdies to start his back nine, only to rinse his next approach shot en route to a crushing double bogey.

Rory McIlroy saw a medal slip away late Sunday, then offered thoughts on the Olympics versus the rest of pro golf. / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Rory McIlroy’s run of close calls continued Sunday during the final round of the Olympic golf tournament, where he was making a huge comeback, only to come up short in the water.

McIlroy had made five straight birdies on the back nine to pull within one shot of the leaders but dumped his second shot in the water short of the green at the par-4 15th hole, leading to a crushing double bogey.

He had made up nearly six shots on leader Jon Rahm at the time.

“When I got to 10 and 11, I looked at the board and I was 14 (under) and Jon had got to 20,” he said. “So I was like—I didn't feel like I had a chance.

“Then I looked at the board again after I birdied 14 and I was one behind and I was like, holy sh-t, what just happened. Even that wedge shot on 15, I hit the shot I wanted to hit. The two boys in front of me, Nicolai (Hojgaard) and Hideki (Matsuyama), they got their balls up in the air a little bit more and the wind carry it, and I saw they went like 25, 30 feet past.

“I hit the shot I wanted to hit 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 to. 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 just 140 yards was one he was trying to get close to make another birdie.

It ended up leading to a double-bogey 6 and he parred in to shoot 66, finishing tied for fifth, who shots short of the bronze medal and four back of winner Scottie Scheffler, who shot 62 to win gold. Tommy Fleetwood finished second and Hideki Matsuyama third.

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The end was not nearly as debilitating as McIlroy’s final few holes at the U.S. Open, where he held a back-nine lead before three bogeys late including a missed 4-footer on the final hole cost him a chance at a playoff against winner Bryson DeChambeau.

But it still stung.

“I feel like I've been golf's ‘Nearly Man’ for the last three years,” McIlroy said. “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.”

McIlroy has won three times this year—an early-season victory at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, a win with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and a victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.

But he didn’t factor at the Masters, couldn’t get much going at the PGA Championship and then came as close as he has to adding to his four major titles at the U.S. Open, where the finish left him in distress and caused him to withdraw from the next week’s tournament.

McIlroy returned to tied for fourth at the Scottish Open, but then missed the cut at the British Open in his last start 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. “Yeah, absolutely. Any medal is possible at that point.”

McIlroy said he will take in some of the other Olympic competitions in the next day before returning to the U.S., with the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning in two weeks.