The Northern Ireland star posted a superb six-under-par 65 in the final round to finish the championship with a cumulative score of 269 at TPC Boston, Sport24 reported.
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He fell out of the “Big 3” conversation earlier this year when Dustin Johnson won the U.S. Open, Henrik Stenson won the British Open, and McIlroy kept sliding, largely because of his putting.
And he would only continue to rocket from there, posting rounds of 67, 66 and 65 to follow and play his final 69 holes in 19 under.
Finally. Rory McIlroy, equipped with something resembling his former putting stroke, has returned to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.
Paul Casey, needed an eagle on the 18th to tie McIlroy but his attempt from about 60 feet did not drop, giving McIlroy the win. “I wasn’t searching”, McIlroy said.
“Obviously it’s a nice way to finish, with an eagle”, the four-time major victor said on the PGA Tour’s official website.
“Things can turn around really quickly in this game and they did this week”.
World No.6 Scott couldn’t buy a birdie on the front nine but started and finished the back nine with strings of three consecutive birdies. After a bogey on 17 dropped his lead to one, McIlroy hit a attractive greenside bunker blast to two feet and tapped in the putt for a closing birdie to sign for 15 under and put himself two up.
McIlroy, who had not tasted victory on the PGA Tour since the Wells Fargo Championship in May past year, had started the tournament three over after his first four holes.
“I think when people make judgements or criticisms without being educated on the subject that they’re criticizing, I think that’s like for me getting in the gym, for example, that’s my pet peeve”, McIlroy said.
The now two-time Deutsche Bank Championship victor put Friday’s first-round triple bogey and even-par 71 in the rear view with three subsequent rounds in the 60s (67-66-65) and a two-shot, come-from-behind victory over Paul Casey at TPC Boston.
While McIlroy enjoyed a dream final round, it was more of a nightmare for Casey.
McIlroy’s victory moves him from 38th to fourth in the FedExCup standings ahead of the BMW Championship later this week. 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.
American Jimmy Walker, who landed his first major title at the PGA Championship in July, carded a 70 to finish third at 12-under.
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The last time McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank title, in 2012, he was also victorious in the BMW Championship the following week. McIlroy made one tweak all on his own, moving his right hand more on top of the grip to make sure the face of the putter didn’t open.
