Rory McIlroy happy that game is in good shape after taking positive steps in second-place finish at Genesis Invitational
Rory McIlroy says near miss at Genesis Invitational showed major progress as he looks ahead to Bay Hill and The Players; McIlroy closed with a 67 after late surge but Jacob Bridgeman held on for maiden PGA Tour title
Monday 23 February 2026 10:11, UK
Rory McIlroy says he is pleased with the positive strides he made at the Genesis Invitational despite falling just short after his Sunday surge.
Jacob Bridgeman held off charges from McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama to claim his maiden PGA Tour title, finishing 18 under for a one‑shot victory at Riviera Country Club.
Although he missed out on his first win of the season, McIlroy insisted the week was an encouraging step ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
- Bridgeman holds off late McIlroy surge at Genesis Invitational
- The Genesis Invitational: Final leaderboard (external site)
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"If you look at how I played last week [at the AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am] - the birdies I made - yes, I made a few big numbers, but I was able to cut those out this week," McIlroy said.
"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."
Starting the day six shots back, McIlroy closed with a four‑under 67, producing four back‑nine birdies to get within one of the lead.
"I just kept plugging away and trying to make something happen," he said. "I felt like I could have done more on the front nine if a few putts had dropped.
"It's tough - sometimes it's harder when the leader has a big cushion and I'm not applying pressure. I've been there myself: when the guy playing with you isn't pushing, but the guys ahead are.
"Jacob was making a lot of pars, and then at the end Kurt made his move, Adam [Scott] posted, and I started making some birdies. I thought Jacob did really well to hang on and play the way he did coming down the stretch."
McIlroy ultimately conceded he left his comeback too late, adding: "I'll rue basically all 18 holes yesterday and then the front nine today, like 27 holes where I failed to capitalise on the chances I gave myself.
"Once I started to trust my reads a bit on the back nine and I went more with my first instinct, I putted a little bit better.
"I was reading too much into them, and then I'd see Jacob's putt from the other side do something, I was like, 'oh, that looked like it went more left than he thought it would', so I'm sort of factoring that in.
"I was almost just giving them too much thought and not going with my first instinct and that sort of cost me."
What's next?
Before the PGA Tour action resumes, there's TGL action live on Sky Sports Golf each night from Monday to Wednesday, with the first indoor action coming at 10pm on Monday night when Atlanta Drive GC take on Boston Common Golf.
Then the PGA Tour moves on from California to Florida for the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches at the PGA National Champion Course. Jacob Bridgeman is scheduled to be straight back in action, while notable names on the entry list include Brooks Koepka as he continues his PGA Tour return, and Ireland's Shane Lowry.
There's early coverage live on Thursday from 11.45pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 4pm. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW
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