Rory McIlroy will head into the US PGA Championship brimming with confidence after winning The Masters last month but he came up short in the final round of the Truist Championship
Rory McIlroy may have come up short in his bid to triumph in the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club on Sunday but that didn’t stop him from willing his close friend, Shane Lowry, on in the decisive round.
McIlroy, fresh off completing the Career Grand Slam after victory at The Masters last month, finished seventh after shooting a 68 in his final round. The Northern Irishman had been hoping to retain his title after winning the tournament 12 months earlier.
While McIlroy returned to the clubhouse trailing the tournament’s eventual winner, Sepp Straka, Lowry was in contention for the win right up until a three-putt on the 18th consigned him to a tied-second finish.
During a clip of CBS’ behind-the-scenes footage, McIlroy could be seen with his hands on his head after watching his friend fail to make it over the line.
McIlroy would go on to show his class by returning to the course to congratulate Straka, who won by two strokes.
Despite Lowry’s late heartbreak, the Irishman has managed to break into the world’s top 10 for the first time ahead of the second major of the season later this week, when McIlroy and the rest of the sport’s biggest names will descend on Quail Hollow for the US PGA Championship.
Speaking after the end of his own round, McIlroy said he was planning to stick around to hopefully see Lowry get over the line before lauding his friend’s consistency. “I’ve seen a big difference in Shane since he started living here full-time,” said the newly minted Masters champion. “We practice and play together so much at home. Just the back and forth from Ireland is tough. Even this time of the year, it’s still hard to practice over there.
“I just feel like I’ve seen such a big improvement in his consistency week to week because of where he lives, being able to practice in great conditions on great golf courses, get in games with the likes of myself or Rickie or JT or whoever lives down in Jupiter.
“It’s been amazing as his friend to see him play so well and so consistently. I’m going to hang around here and hopefully see him get the job done.”
Lowry will not bid to regroup before the PGA Championship, though his record at Quail Hollow does not make for pleasant reading. His best finish at the venue from seven appearances is 24th and Lowry himself even quipped back in February: “I don’t even have a love-hate for Quail Hollow -it’s just a pure hatred for it!”
