Rory McIlroy makes confident prediction after latest heartbreak at BMW PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy suffered his second heartbreak in the space of a week after he was beaten by Billy Horschel to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday, just a week after defeat at the Irish Open

Rory McIlroy suffered more last-day heartache when he lost a dramatic playoff to Billy Horschel at the BMW PGA Championship, but the world No.3 insisted: “Sooner or later it's going to end up in a win.”

This summer the Usterman has come close at the US Open, Olympics and last week’s Irish Open without sealing a victory. And even with the autumnal temperatures at Wentworth this weekend, his fortune did not change.

After struggling with his irons, a 46-foot eagle putt on the 17th hole saw him jump into the share of the lead with Thriston Lawrence on 20-under par. He missed a 16-foot birdie putt on the last for the title. And when Horschel birdied the last, the three men entered a sudden-death playoff on the par-5 18th.

The South African was eliminated on the first hole. Both McIlroy and Horschel found the middle of the green in two, the Ulsterman’s eagle putt slid past the cup before the American nailed his 25-footer to win this event for a second time. For 2014 champion McIlroy, a painful late defeat was also a familiar feeling.

But after shooting a closing 67, he said: “These things happen. It's golf and I'm playing well. Two weeks in a row, I've played well. Just not quite well enough. Last week was a tough one. But you know, happy with where my game is and happy where it's trending.

“It's just the game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that's fine. If someone had said: ‘You're going to turn up at Wentworth this week and shoot 20-under par, I'd take that. Only two people have beaten me in the last two weeks. Only one person really. 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.”

“I think for me, when I show up at a golf tournament, I sort of know that the field has to beat me to have a chance to win. That's how it feels. So that's a pretty good position to be in. Even when I don't feel I'm playing my best, playing golf good enough to always have a chance."

McIlroy has still won twice this season - in Dubai and the Wells Fargo Championship in May - but has now passed the 10th anniversary of his last Major win.

“It could have been a very different year but the nice thing is there's next year and the year after and the year after and the year after. 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.

“In terms of years where I haven't been able to get it done or feel like I left something out there, I certainly had years where I've felt worse. When you get yourself in contention so much, inevitably you're going to have disappointments. Unfortunately I'm just getting a little too used to feeling what it's like when you do and hopefully that tide will turn.”

West Ham fan Horschel was cheered to an extra time win by Irons co-owner Tripp Smith. “I hear a lot of ‘West Ham’ and ‘Come On You Irons’ and ‘Up the Hammers’,” he said. “I love Wentworth, I love London and the UK. It feels like a second home to me.”

The back nine saw five different leaders. Aaron Rai made six birdies in his first 12 holes but he found water at the last for a 67. Overnight leader Matteo Manaserro’s challenge ended when he drove into a ditch on No.15 for bogey on a way to his closing 73. They finished tied fourth with halfway leader Matthew Baldwin (69).