Rory McIlroy loses World No. 1 ranking to Jordan Spieth
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – As PGA Championship week commenced, incumbent World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy seemed a bit defiant discussing his anticipated showdown with Jordan Spieth.
He deferred his opinion on whom was the better player until the end of the week.
After finishing the season's final major at Whistling Straits a disappointing 17th, McIlroy had to face facts. His 53-week reign as the top ballstriker on the planet was over.
Spieth, 22, played in the final group Sunday with champion Jason Day. He shot a 4-under-par 68 to wrap up in second place at – 17, three shots back.
McIlroy, 26, closed with a 3-under par 69, -9 for the tournament. He never made a serious charge, birdieing four holes and suffering a bogey on No. 13.
Spieth's second-place PGA finish cemented him supplanting McIlroy in the World Golf Rankings. McIlroy gave the new king his due.
"Honestly the way Jordan has been playing and the way I haven't played much this year, I think that was only my 12th or 13th event," McIlroy said. "I feel like I'm playing well, but as he does go to No. 1, it's very deservedly so. Winning two majors, winning a couple other times this year, had a chance at the (British) Open, had a chance obviously today.
"I'll be the first one to congratulate him because I know the golf you have to play to get to that spot, and it has been impressive this year."
If Spieth, the Masters and U.S. Open champion, was smarting from coming up just short of the American Slam, he wasn't showing it.
"The best loss I've ever had," he said. Earning No. 1 is "fantastic, a lifetime goal."
The big question coming in was the status of McIlroy's injured left ankle. He had suffered a ruptured tendon playing soccer and was playing competitively for the first time in nearly two months.
The 2014 PGA champion from Northern Ireland insisted he was not bothered by his leg.
"It's been great, honestly," he said. "I've had no discomfort with it at all. I'm still rehabbing it whenever I get back. I'm still doing exercise on it every night and every morning, getting treatment on it. But it's good.
"It's good to play golf. As you can see out there, I'm hitting it the same distance as I have been, and able to get around 18 holes very easily. So it's not an issue. And as I said over there, the residual swelling that just sort of comes from activity, that probably won't go away for another two or three months, but it's nothing to worry about."
McIlroy said he will focus on fitness before playing again at the Deutsche Bank Championship Sept. 4-7.
"I probably next week won't do much work on my golf," he said. "I'll just keep doing the rehab and doing everything I need to then. And then the week after I'll start to practice and build up again and get ready for Boston."
And assume a new role as second-best to Spieth.
PHOTOS: Best of the PGA Championship
