Everything is just not clicking – McIlroy
World number three Rory McIlroy knows he must remain patient as his wait for a title goes on after leaving The Players Championship empty-handed.
Four-time major champion McIlroy finished eight shots behind world number one and tournament winner Jason Day following his final-round 70 at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman showed glimpses of his best, threatening to match the course record in the second round which Day had equalled in the opening round, but McIlroy ultimately ended the unofficial “fifth major” seven under through 72 holes.
McIlroy – with four top-10 finishes this season on the PGA Tour – is still searching for his first competitive win since taking out the European Tour’s World Tour Championship in Dubai in November.
“Everything is just not clicking, and hopefully as the summer approaches, everything can start to click and I can go on a run, because I really don’t feel like it’s too far away,” McIlroy said.
“I’ve been saying I’m close for a very long time. Feels like I’ve been saying I’m close all year. I feel like it’s right around the corner, and it just takes one week for everything to sort of click, and you get some momentum and you get a win and you’re off and running.
“Every week I get up on the podium before the tournament starts and say, hopefully this is the week. Next week I’ll say the same thing at the Irish Open. Hopefully it’s the week that can kick-start the rest of the season. But I feel like my game is in good shape. Just keep working on the things that I need to, but it’s not far away at all.”
McIlroy added: “I haven’t won a golf tournament this year. The last golf tournament I won was in Dubai in November, so it feels like a long time ago now.
“But again, I need to stay patient because if I keep pushing and keep looking for the win, that’s when these sloppy mistakes start to creep in. I just need to go out there and play my game and trust that I’m playing well enough for the chips to fall my way sooner rather than later.”
