Fine-tuning with the newest member of Team Rory since Baltusrol and his usual exceptional ball-striking were the keys to McIlroy overcoming a six-shot deficit at the start of Monday’s finale to earn his 12th tour win. The dramatic improvement comes just a week after the now World No.3 changed to a Scotty Cameron putter and employed a new putting coach.
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“It’s amusing, four years on, and I win here, and going back to Indy where I have great memories from four years ago”, McIlroy said. He is also projected to jump from 38th to fourth in the FEC standings. Sep.
Brian Harman is Casey’s nearest challenger after he hit a 68 on Sunday, while Smylie Kaufman, USPGA champion Jimmy Walker and Kevin Chappell, who held the overnight lead on Saturday, are a further shot behind. What’s different about this win is that McIlroy was 4-over through three holes in R1 before settling in and racking up the birdies (24) and one eagle.
The win completed a remarkable turnaround for McIlroy, who had got off to a disastrous start in his opening round on Friday to be four over par after his first three holes.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 Jason Day finished in a group of six players tied for 15th.
Rickie Fowler, who edged Stenson by one stroke to win the Deutsche Bank previous year, had a pedestrian title defense, closing with a weekend-worst 72 to tie for 46th, one shot behind Stenson.
History is now on McIlroy’s side.
RORY McILROY HAS ended his victory drought on the PGA Tour as a stunning final round saw him claim a two-shot victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
One shot clear playing the last, McIlroy all but ensured victory with a deft bunker shot to tap-in range for the clinching birdie. If you don’t believe him, just take a look at his PGA Tour ranks: Entering this week, he was 117th in putts per round, 130th in strokes gained putting, 165th in total putting, 189th in putting inside 10 feet and 193rd in three-putt avoidance.
McIlroy could not have timed his return to form better.
“I came off the back of a rough couple of weeks”, McIlroy said. The man who couldn’t hole a putt to save his life in missing the halfway cut at the USPGA last month has got his confidence back on the greens thanks to some sage advice from putting guru, Phil Kenyon.
McIlroy’s going to keep lifting.
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The 27-year-old rises to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings ahead of next week’s BMW Championship, the third of four play-off events at the end of the American gold season. “I thought it was a long shot, obviously I didn’t expect to win, but I thought I could really give it a good go”. “The next two tournaments are huge for me, to try and do that”.
