{"id":499207,"date":"2026-02-23T17:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/499207\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T17:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:01:09","slug":"rory-mcilroy-holes-600000-putt-on-final-hole-of-genesis-invitational","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/499207\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy Holes $600,000 Putt On Final Hole Of Genesis Invitational"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rory McIlroy<\/a> finished joint second, one shot shy of winner Jacob Bridgeman<\/a>, at this year’s Genesis Invitational<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After a week where it seemed money could not buy the Northern Irishman a putt, Riviera eventually paid out in substantial fashion on the 72nd hole of the week.<\/p>\n

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The fateful roll from 29 feet snaked down the hill, held for a millisecond on the lip, before dropping\u2026alongside an extra $600,000 into the Holywood hero\u2019s bank account.<\/p>\n

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If the putt, like much of his others over the week, had shied away from going home, McIlroy would have been sharing third place and $1.2m with Adam Scott<\/a>, instead of the $1.8m share he earned by tying second with Kurt Kitayama.<\/p>\n

When asked about the cruelty of seeing one drop on the 18th compared to the multitude that passed by throughout the week, McIlroy responded in very self-aware fashion (albeit a couple hundred thousand dollars short).<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not really. It probably earned me an extra 400, 500 grand so it’s fine,” he said.<\/p>\n

Putt for an extra $600K?!A birdie on No. 18 moved Rory McIlroy to T2 and put some extra cash in his pocket. Not a bad way to finish @thegenesisinv \ud83d\udcb8 pic.twitter.com\/oyYirgMQvfFebruary 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite a back-nine charge in the final round, which consisted of five birdies, including a brilliant holed-bunker shot on the 12th, the Northern Irishman deemed it too little too late.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ll rue basically all 18 holes yesterday and then the front nine today, like 27 holes where I failed to capitalize on the chances I give myself,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started to trust my reads a bit on the back nine and I went more with my first instinct, I putted a little better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, McIlroy labeled it a positive showing, and a certain improvement from his T14 finish at Pebble Beach<\/a> the week prior.<\/p>\n

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A two-under 69 on Saturday allowed eventual winner Jacob Bridgeman to enter Sunday\u2019s final round with a six-shot lead. Bridgeman closed out Sunday with a somewhat shaky 72, managing to hold off McIlroy, Kitayama, and Scott chasing behind to win his first PGA Tour event.<\/p>\n

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\"Jacob\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

McIlroy is no stranger to jostling for tournament leads and acknowledged the difficulty of closing out large events, especially when Bridgeman held such a commanding lead going into Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s hard to close out big tournaments. Even though he was a little shaky coming down the stretch, he held it together when he needed to,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat putt on the last isn’t easy. Leaves it a little bit short and the crowd reacts and you’ve got to take your time a little bit. I give him all the props, he did what he needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American successfully holed a three footer to claim the $4m prize<\/a> which catapulted him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings and over $5m in earnings this year.<\/p>\n

This continues his fine form this year, comprising two top-10s including an 8th finish at Pebble Beach last week.<\/p>\n