Rory McIlroy says his PGA Championship 'looks very different' without these mistakes
· Yahoo Sports
When Rory McIlroy looks back at the 2026 PGA Championship, he's going to remember the par 5s.
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The Masters champion shot three straight rounds in the 60s after an opening 74 at Aronimink and finished T-7, tied for his best finish at the major since his second victory in 2014. He ultimately lost to Aaron Rai by five shots, and it's easy to see where those shots came from.
For the week, McIlroy was even par on the eight total par 5s. On those same holes, Rai was 6 under.
During an interview with CBS' Amanda Balionis after his round, McIlroy confirmed his round turned Sunday with a pair of pars on the par 5s.
"I think not birdieing the two par-5s and making the bogey at the drivable par-4 13th," McIlroy said of the difference makers in the final round. "To me I felt like I played the golf I needed to play the rest of the way."
McIlroy carded a 69 in the final round, but he had only two birdies Sunday and never truly contented with the lead, which flipped between Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid before Rai's back-nine 31 took control of the tournament.
Part of the reason for McIlroy's struggles on the long holes was poor accuracy with the driver. For the week, he ranked 12th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, but he hit only 41 percent of his fairways even while being second in driving distance.
But for McIlroy to play those three holes in a combined 1 over when a perfect world would've seen him write three circles on the card, those are mistakes that can't happen in major championships.
"If I birdied the two par-5s and turned that 5 into a 3 on 13, the day looks very different," he said.
McIlroy said he's happy for Aaron Rai, saying you won't find one person on property who won't be elated for the first-time major winner, but his mind will rue his missed chances not only Sunday but throughout the week.
As for McIlroy's next stop, he'll skip the pair of PGA Tour events in Texas before playing the Memorial Tournament. The U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York follows two weeks after.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Championship 2026: These mistakes disrupted Rory McIlroy