Rory McIlroy laughs off question and admits ‘it earned me £300k more’ | Golf | Sport

Rory McIlroy finished tied for second at the Genesis Invitational after ending a brilliant final round with a birdie. And despite not catching winner Jacob Bridgeman thanks to some cold putting, he was still in a jovial mood post-tournament.

He missed some excellent birdie opportunities on the front nine, specifically on the 8th and 9th. At the 14th, he left a putt just inches shy and this could have turned the tide in his favour had it dropped into the cup. On the final two holes, he eventually managed to find some consistency, though his 30-footer to wrap things up simply came too late.

After these misses, McIlroy was asked whether it felt cruel or bittersweet to sink one on the 18th with the title having already slipped away. But he replied with a laugh: “No, not really. It probably earned me an extra $400k [£300k] so it was fine.”

McIlroy alludes to the fact that this final putt meant he ended the Genesis Invitational in T2 as opposed to finishing in third or T3. Had he ended up in this lesser spot, he would have banked $1.4million (£1.05m).

However, thanks to the final birdie, he climbed to tie for second with American ace Kurt Kitayama. The pair therefore shared the prize money for second and third, meaning McIlroy took home $1.8m (£1.35m).

Speaking about how he felt his tournament went, McIlroy said: “If you look at how I played last week [at Pebble Beach] the birdies I made, yes, I made a few big numbers, but I was able to cut those out this week.

“I think I only had three bogeys all week. My game feels in really good shape. I’m looking forward to getting on some Bermuda greens over the next couple of weeks.

“It’s feeling good – much better than it did in Dubai – which is a big step in the right direction. I just have to keep working. I feel like I’ve got a lot out of this West Coast Swing, last week at Pebble and then here.

“I’ve got a week off to work on a few things, even though my game feels pretty much all there. I’m looking forward to Bay Hill and The Players.”