Rory McIlroy vow to ‘keep showing up’ after second successive Sunday loss

Horschel defeated McIlroy with an eagle on the second extra hole at Wentworth, with Thirston Lawrence eliminated on the first as all three posted 20-under regulation scorecards.

McIlroy’s 45-foot eagle on the 17th hole fired him back into title contention but, one week on from losing at Royal County Down in the Irish Open by a single shot, he had to settle for second spot.

“Last week was a tough one but I left there with my head held high with the way I played the last hole trying to make three," McIlroy said after a closing 67 at Wentworth in the DP World Tour’s flagship event. “And today I played the play-off holes perfectly, really, a couple of birdies.

"But it just shows the standard out here.

"If you slip up just a little bit or don’t make a birdie on a crucial hole, someone is always waiting to take advantage of that.

“Two weeks in a row I’ve played well...just not quite well enough.

"The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that’s fine.

“If someone had of said you’re going to turn up at Wentworth this week and shoot 20 under par, I’d take that.

"All I can do is keep showing up and trying to play the golf that I’ve been playing and sooner or later it’s going to end up in a win.”

McIlroy called himself a “nearly man” following fifth in the summer Olympic Games when in contention for a Paris medal before finding water on the 15th.

Bogeys across three of the final four holes in June’s US Open cost him a first major since 2014.

“It could have been a different year but the nice thing is there’s next year and the year after and the year after and the year after,” McIlroy added. "If you think of my career as a 30-career journey, it’s only one year in a 30-year journey, and hopefully the other 29 are a little more productive or a little bit better.”

Horschel, following his victory, called McIlroy “a generational talent” and added “I know how close he’s been this year so I can feel for him”.