Rory McIlroy says Wentworth form good news for Europe’s Ryder Cup prospects

Rory McIlroy says Europe will head into the Ryder Cup buoyed by the performances of the team’s players at the BMW PGA Championship.

Tyrrell Hatton was joint runner-up as Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood occupied fourth, fifth and sixth, with McIlroy sharing seventh.

“It’s awesome. We’re in a good spot,” said world number two McIlroy.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy joined all the other members of the team in making Friday evening’s cut after a closing birdie but then surged up the field over the weekend with rounds of 67 and 65.

“We had a really good day in Rome on Monday, the team’s been shaping up really well for the last couple of months, everyone’s been in pretty good form,” said McIlroy, before he headed to Mykonos for a friend’s stag party on Monday.

“It’s still almost two weeks away until the first ball is hit on the Friday morning but I’m sure you’ll ask all the boys that are coming in here they are all just so excited to get to Rome and get going.”

McIlroy began the final round in Surrey 10 shots off the lead held by Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg but closed to within two after covering his first 15 holes in seven under.

However, the 2014 champion was unable to birdie either the 17th or 18th, both par fives, to put more pressure on the players still out on the course following an 82-minute weather delay.

“It’s not disappointment that I haven’t won, I’m more disappointed that I couldn’t take advantage of the positions I put myself in on 17 and 18,” McIlroy added.

“There’s a couple of things to work on and to try and iron a couple of the misses out of my game.

“I’m getting a little quick in transition with some iron shots and leaving some out to the right but apart from that I feel like everything is in pretty good shape.”

Europe’s Ryder Cup team take on the United States at the Marco Simone course in Rome from 29 September to 1 October. – bbc.com