Rory McIlroy's immediate reaction as he loses out to Wyndham Clark at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy admits he cannot allow himself to feel too disappointed after falling short of Wyndham Clark at the BMW Championship because he knows he is still not quite playing at the level he expects of himself.

Despite starting the day five behind the leader, McIlroy moved into a share of the lead with Clark down the closing stretch of Sunday's final round at Bellerive Country Club. 

But the momentum swung dramatically on the closing holes.

McIlroy made a costly bogey-six on the par-5 17th, while Clark produced three straight birdies from the 16th to the 18th to pull clear and seal a three-shot victory over Patrick Cantlay.

The victory marked the third of the season for Clark, who won his second U.S. Open title in June, and makes him a candidate for PGA Tour Player of the Year. 

McIlroy closed with a 69 to finish solo third at 13-under par, but his immediate reaction was notably measured.

"Obviously a big improvement on last week," McIlroy told CBS Sports.

"I don't think I can be too disappointed, I'm probably not playing well enough to be disappointed that I didn't win, but I had my chances on the back nine and started to hit some nice shots."

That assessment perhaps tells the story of McIlroy's current form better than the final leaderboard.

The six-time major champion was good enough to put himself into contention, but not quite consistent enough to finish the job against a Clark who produced his best golf when it mattered most.

"I hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in but Wyndham stepped up when needed to, the birdie on 16 was huge and the way he played the last three holes he showed a lot of character there," McIlroy added.

McIlroy's respect for Clark was also clear after the round.

The PGA Tour subsequently posted video of the pair embracing, with McIlroy congratulating Clark and telling him: "Great character, that was awesome. Well done."

Watch McIlroy and Clark's embrace here:

The result was still a huge improvement on McIlroy's solo 66th-place finish at the FedEx St Jude Championship the previous week, which followed a three-week break spent in Ibiza and Greece with family and friends.

Now McIlroy heads to East Lake with plenty of encouragement.

He is a record three-time FedEx Cup champion and will have another opportunity to claim a fourth title at the Tour Championship.