Rory McIlroy's latest heartbreak sparks Tiger Woods argument after BMW PGA Championship play-off loss
Rory McIlroy missed out on winning the BMW PGA Championship
PA
Former professional golfer Wayne Riley wants people to stop comparing Rory McIlroy to Tiger Woods and appreciate the Northern Irishman for what he is after his latest near-miss.
McIlroy is the closest golfer still playing to Tiger Woods' joint record of 82 PGA Tour wins having picked up 26 titles so far in his career.
He could have easily added to that tally on a number of occasions this year and missed out on another on Sunday in a thrilling play-off with Billy Horschel.
McIlroy managed to battle back on the final day of the BMW PGA Championship to force a decider with Horschel, but the American holed a long eagle putt to win the event.
It comes just a week after McIlroy's painful loss at the Irish Open and his heartbreaking collapse at the US Open earlier this summer.
Rory McIlroy missed out on winning the BMW PGA Championship
PA
This season has also included a third-place finish at the Valero Texas Open and a tied-fifth finish at the Olympics.
As well as the near-misses, McIlroy did clinch two victories at the Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy is a strong favourite to win any event that he enters with expectations reaching unprecedented levels at times, particularly at majors with his last coming in 2014.
JUST IN: Tyson Fury reveals extravagant amount of money he lost on Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois fight
The 35-year-old has faced comparisons to Woods throughout his career, but Riley believes the European Ryder Cup icon deserves to be recognised in his own right.
"He finishes eagle, birdie, so that guy down there [who said Rory bottled it] should hang his head in shame," Riley said.
"If this guy was a bottle job, that is just pure class. He was out of it kind of and he played his way back into it.
"That is what you get from McIlroy, you get box office, you get pure theatre. He is just a great player, everybody loves him.
"At the end of the day, we saw a great player in Tiger Woods and he was in a different stratosphere and they expect Rory to be like that. It isn't going to happen.
"He has won twice on the PGA Tour [this year] and that is not easy to do. McIlroy is McIlroy so everyone should leave him alone."
McIlroy was more upbeat about his performance at Wentworth despite his play-off loss, although he feels the game is 'testing' him at the moment.
"Last week was a tough one but I left there with my head held high with the way I played the last hole trying to make three," McIlroy said.
Rory McIlroy has had a number of near-misses in 2024
PA
"And today I played the play-off holes perfectly, really, a couple of birdies. But it just shows the standard out here.
"If you slip up just a little bit or don't make a birdie on a crucial hole, someone is always waiting to take advantage of that.
"Two weeks in a row I've played well. Just not quite well enough. The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that's fine.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Nobody has won more PGA Tour events than Tiger Woods
PA
"If someone had of said you're going to turn up at Wentworth this week and shoot 20 under par, I'd take that. All I can do is keep showing up and trying to play the golf that I've been playing and sooner or later it's going to end up in a win.
"It could have been a different year but the nice thing is there's next year and the year after and the year after and the year after.
"If you think of my career as a 30-career journey, it's only one year in a 30-year journey, and hopefully the other 29 are a little more productive or a little bit better."
You may like
