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McIlroy (71) falls in steamy Memphis after putter goes ice-cold

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was another emotional week for Rory McIlroy for all the wrong reasons.

After missing the cut at last week’s Open Championship in Northern Ireland, McIlroy arrived at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational reinvigorated, and following a third-round 62 he headed out in the day’s final group Sunday with a one-stroke lead.


Full-field scores from the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational


Things unraveled from the start for McIlroy on Sunday. He missed a 19-footer for birdie at the first, 16-footer for birdie at the second and a 4-footer for birdie at the third. By the time he reached the sixth green he was one stroke behind Brooks Koepka, and by the turn he was two shots back.

Putting was the primary problem for the world No. 3 on Sunday. He needed 29 putts, his worst effort on the greens all week, and didn’t make a birdie until the 14th hole on his way to a 1-over 71 and a tie for fourth place.

McIlroy, whose next start will be The Northern Trust in two weeks, declined to talk to the media.