Not quite, but certainly a step in that direction. McIlroy went into the event with a new putter and a new putting coach in Phil Kenyon, the Englishman who is now involved with seven members of Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
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Then comes Ryan Moore before four players six shots back who will still believe they have a chance of winning – Louis Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau and Olympic champion Justin Rose. Rounds of 67-66-65 over the closing 54-holes, however, propelled the former world number one to a firm two stroke victory at TPC Boston. However, his eagle putt from 58 feet raced by the hole and he missed the return putt before tapping in for par.
“Wow, very impressive. Yeah, that’s a mighty round of golf”, said Paul Casey, who had to settle for a runner-up finish.
“It is incredible to think how I started this tournament and what was going through my mind after three holes, and then all of a sudden standing here four days later with a trophy”, he said about the bogey and triple that featured in his opening three holes. “I battled well, did a lot of things brilliantly all week, but obviously frustrated”.
McIlroy couldn’t have started Friday’s first round at the Deutsche Bank Championship much worse, as a bogey and triple bogey moved him to 4-over.
Canadian David Hearn has not finished higher than 26 in five attempts at this tournament but he can come out on top against Billy Hurley and Harold Varner (1.06pm).
Jimmy Walker, Kevin Chappell and Smylie Kaufman, all tied for third at 11-under, round out the top five heading into the final round.
Two players with Arkansas connections competed in the event, but only one will move on to in, that being David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks), who finished tied for 63rd at even-par 284, earning 30 FedEx points. After missing the cut at the PGA Championship, McIlroy fell to fifth as Stenson, who was T7, moved up. But he made an 18-foot birdie on the par-3 eighth, and followed that with a 10-footer on the ninth to make the turn in 31.
Hearn’s scrambling and putting have been excellent this week and that stands him in good stead if the wind throws up a few surprises. I’m just really proud of myself, how I hung in there on the first day and then got some momentum on Saturday.
“I don’t know if I quit, but I definitely let my shoulders slump and let my head drop”, McIlroy said.
It was McIlroy’s first tournament win since he won the Irish Open at Carton House in May. Then I just went with it.
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“A criticism of my golf game, I take it, and I know what I need to work on and sometimes those people point out the obvious but, I would say that’s the most unfair criticism I receive, is what I do at the gym”.
