The 39-year-old Englishman counts the 2009 Shell Houston Open as his only Tour victory, and was unable to add to his win total thanks to a final-round 73 that left him 13 under and in solo second.
Advertisement
He had a reputation for playing his best golf in pristine conditions, unusual for a kid who grew up in Northern Ireland.
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.
McIlroy ended his 16-month title drought on the U.S. tour with his two-shot victory from overnight leader Paul Casey (73) as he defied blustery conditions to finish at 15-under 269.
“I think those last 15 holes on Friday were definitely a turning point”, McIlroy said.
Chappell saved par on the final hole Saturday to equal the lowest score of the tournament so far.
McIlroy had seen his playing partner Harris English land his ball very close to the pin on the last, and after backing off his ball twice due to the swirling wind, he struck a 4-iron perfectly from 212 yards. “I’ve never started a tournament like that and went on to win it, so it’s a great opportunity to try and overcome a little bit of adversity to start with and then get into it”. It’s a long time. “There’s a lot that can happen – and I sort of proved that to myself this week”.
Asked why he only has one PGA Tour victory – he has 14 on the European Tour, mostly recently the KLM Open two years ago – Casey pointed to his early years in the Tiger Woods era. “And then the wind gusted and it went right”.
McIlroy set up three birdies with his short game. There, Rory McIlroy will attempt to deliver a repeat performance of his 2012 playoff run, when he became the first player to win the Deutsche Bank and BMW in the same year.
McIlroy has moved from fifth to third, pushing Jordan Spieth from third to fourth and Henrik Stenson from fourth to fifth. McIlroy also switched putters last week at Bethpage Black, though he was at the bottom of the pack in putting. 2 and 5, and by the time he made the turn he was trailing McIlroy, who began the day six strokes off Casey’s pace.
It was Irish Open winner’s first victory on the PGA Tour since May past year and lifted him up to No4 in the FedEx rankings with $10m on offer for the first prize.
“It’s awesome what one good round does – just that little bit of confidence from (Saturday) carried into (Sunday)”.
Advertisement
Adam Scott knows what it’s like to be scrutinized for putting, and he referred to McIlroy as “Teflon coated” because he doesn’t let the criticism stick. “It’s more about survival and just doing the best you can”.
