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Rory McIlroy admits there is much room for improvement in his game, but took solace from his spirited display in the final round of the BMW Championship. Wyndham Clark prevailed at Bellerive Country Club, but was pushed by a resurgent McIlroy who was joint-leader with three holes to play before eventually finishing third. Clark had entered the final round with a five-shot buffer, but three bogeys over the first 10 holes brought the chasers into play. His playing partner McIlroy drew level and remained tied for the lead with three holes but the world number two had to settle for third, four strokes back, as Clark finished with three consecutive birdies to claim a three-shot victory and third PGA Tour win of the season. "I hit it well on the back nine," McIlroy said. "I gave myself plenty of chances. I just couldn't get a putt to drop there in those final few holes. I always felt like I needed to just get my nose ahead to really try to put the pressure on Wyndham and I couldn't. "We were tied there for a few holes and then when he made that putt on 16 for a two and I couldn't answer - that was obviously a huge moment in the round and in the tournament. Overall, encouraged with how I played this week and certainly something to build on going into East Lake." McIlroy heads into the season-ending Tour Championship in a more positive state of mind after some sluggish performances, and the back-to-back Masters champion has seen green shoots with his swing in particular. "I'm closer [with his game] than I was at the start of the week," he said. "I'm still not in a spot where I'm super happy with where my game is or where my swing is, so I just have to keep working on it. "It's nice to know, even when I'm not super happy with everything, I can still piece it together and get it around and still give myself a chance to win tournaments."