00:00Smiley, let's move next to the other guy in that final pairing, Rory McIlroy, who really, as kind of as
00:06we mentioned, didn't really have it with the putter until that long one made at the 18th, but still shoots
00:1167 to only finish a shot off the winning score in this tournament, which at the beginning of the day,
00:16you're six back.
00:17You tell Rory McIlroy, you finish a shot off the lead, he feels like he played pretty good today.
00:21So just let's look at his season in its totality right now.
00:25Now, opens with two starts on the DP Royal Tour in Dubai, one of those is a tie for third,
00:30then starts his PGA Tour season at Pebble last week, finishes tied for 14th in his title defense, and then
00:36comes here and finishes tied for second at Riv, almost backdoors his way into that playoff.
00:41So I think with Rory, man, I just, I had the sense this could be a really big year for
00:47him.
00:48I'm not going to project that he was particularly burdened before this season, but I think there's just somewhat of
00:55a weight that seems like it's lifted off and he's completed the career grand slam.
00:59Your objective from this point on is how many additional major championships can I win to add to my career
01:04legacy?
01:05I was watching him warm up on the range today before his final tee time, and he just looks so
01:09relaxed and carefree, even though he knew he had to go out and probably shoot a 65 to have a
01:14chance to win this thing.
01:16And that, to me, feels like a very, very dangerous man as we look to the rest of the season.
01:22I think a lot of wins and maybe a couple of majors will be coming his way in 2026.
01:26Yeah, definitely.
01:27There's some encouraging signs, and Rory McIlroy, like you said, it appears that he's playing with a ton of confidence.
01:35Not having to worry about a whole lot.
01:37You know, I think he still has, you know, just that driver that's so good, man.
01:41And what he was able to show off with that club this week, nobody else is able to do.
01:46You know, he can hit driver into a different world than nobody can, but he also can bring it down
01:52and play shots down on the ground and get the ball chasing down the fairway.
01:57His versatility with that club, he's still going to be, you know, in our generation, the best driver of the
02:05golf ball that we'll ever witness, probably.
02:07That's how good this guy is with this club.
02:10Now, this week, I really was impressed at times, really, with his iron game.
02:16And I think heading into the season, that was the one aspect I thought he could improve on.
02:21You know, he had inconsistent weeks with the irons.
02:23He'd have good weeks and bad weeks.
02:25It's kind of been, you know, it's kind of been the trend over the last three or four years with
02:28him.
02:29He kind of, he'll just start getting a little bit underneath it, struggle to hit fades.
02:33And then sometimes the wedge game is, is becomes a bit of an issue, but coming off of pebble where
02:39he had too many big numbers, got, you know, a couple of drives and maybe didn't go his way.
02:45Putting was a bit of a struggle inside six feet, but remember, this is Poana bumpy greens.
02:50Sometimes you just got to chalk it up as, as you hit good putts that just didn't go in the
02:54hole.
02:54And I think that's fair.
02:56I think most players can probably accept that, that, that problem that you might have on point of green.
03:02So, uh, with Rory, I thought he was, you know, very close.
03:05It just, he probably wishes he didn't start quite as many back to feel like he can put a little
03:10bit more pressure on him.
03:11But I mean, just go to that bunker shot.
03:13He hit on the 12th hole, 40 yard bunker shot, most likely going to be making bogey from there.
03:17It sometimes makes birdie, uh, he kept himself in the golf tournament, uh, birdies the last couple of holes comes
03:22up one short.
03:23And you're like, man, uh, just one shot felt like it was a lot more than that, but it, you
03:29know, just hung in there tough.
03:30Can you imagine how that would have gone in a playoff, a Bridgman Kitayama McIlroy playoff?
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