Rory McIlroy admitted he is still not happy with his swing heading into the season-ending Tour Championship, despite narrowly missing out on victory at the BMW Championship.
McIlroy described his game as "so far away" from where it needed to be after a forgettable week at the FedEx St Jude Championship, where he ended 66th in a 68-man field, only to produce a much-improved performance in St Louis.
The world No 2 birdied three of the last four holes of his third round at Bellerive Country Club to get within five strokes of leader Wyndham Clark, setting up a Sunday pairing with the US Open champion, before pulling level with the American on the final day.
McIlroy remained tied for the lead with three holes to play but eventually ended in third spot, four strokes back, as Clark produced a three-birdie finish to claim a three-shot victory and third PGA Tour win of the season.
"I'm closer [with his game] than I was at the start of the week," McIlroy admitted. "I'm still not in a spot where I'm super happy with where my game is or where my swing is, so I just have to keep working on it.
"It's nice to know, even when I'm not super happy with everything, I can still piece it together and get it around and still give myself a chance to win tournaments."
McIlroy capitalised on a two-shot swing at the first hole and recovered from bogeys at the fourth and seventh to post three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the eighth, pulling him level after Clark played his first 10 holes in three over.
Clark edged ahead with a 15-foot birdie at the 16th and found his own two-shot swing at the par-five next, making birdie as McIlroy dropped a shot, before finding another at the last to extend his winning margin over Patrick Cantlay.
"I felt like most of my game held up today," McIlroy added. "Obviously, going out in the final group and you're working on some stuff, you're just hoping that everything stays the way it is.
"I hit it well on the back nine. I gave myself plenty of chances. I just couldn't get a putt to drop there in those final few holes. I always felt like I needed to just get my nose ahead to really try to put the pressure on Wyndham [Clark] and I couldn't.
"We were tied there for a few holes and then when he made that putt on 16 for a two and I couldn't answer - that was obviously a huge moment in the round and in the tournament. Overall, encouraged with how I played this week and certainly something to build on going into East Lake."
Both players found the rough off the tee at the par-five 17th, where Clark elected to lay up on his way to a birdie as McIlroy went from bunker to bunker and carded a tournament-ending bogey.
"I tried to get it up a bit too far," McIlroy conceded. "I should have been taking that left bunker out of play. If you're going to lay it up, lay it up, so just another stupid decision with a lay-up on a par-five that cost me."
On whether he felt like he deserved the win, McIlroy explained to CBS Sports: "I can't be too disappointed. I'm probably not playing well enough to be disappointed that I didn't win.
"I had my chances on the back nine and hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in. Wyndham Clark stepped up when he needed too. His birdie on 16 was huge and the way he played the last three holes, he showed a lot of character."
The PGA Tour season reaches its climax at the Tour Championship at East Lake GC, where only the top 30 players in the standings are eligible to compete for the FedExCup and $10m first prize.
Who will win the FedExCup? Watch all four rounds exclusively live on Your Site. Live coverage begins Thursday from 5pm on Your Site Golf. or .
