Sep 5, 2016; Norton, MA, USA; Paul Casey hits his tee shot on the 5th hole during the final round of the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament at TPC of Boston.
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It was simply exquisite golf by Rory McIlroy to win the Deutsche Bank Championship last night. 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.
Playoff title When McIlroy last won the Deutsche Bank championship in 2012, he brought that momentum with him to also claim the BMW championship the following week before being usurped by Brandt Snedeker in the Tour Championship and also for the megabucks bonus. He also moves to No. 3 in the world ranking – he was fifth heading into the week, his lowest position in more than two years. The Big Three narrative shifted according to some media folks earlier this year as McIlroy was cast as the outsider looking in; it all happened so quickly nobody was sure what to make of it.
He had a reputation for playing his best golf in pristine conditions, unusual for a kid who grew up in Northern Ireland.
In his case, it only took 69 holes. “I’ve played some great golf and I really feel like I’m trending in a really strong positive way”. And, then, having recovered to make a charge over the weekend, McIlroy still went into the final round playing catch-up on Casey.
That much is obvious, just as obvious as the season-long criticism about his putting – criticism that will disappear after his long-awaited triumph. “Rory, he gets criticized a lot, everything analyzed, and he’s very patient I think with it all”.
Of course, the conditions didn’t stop Rory McIlroy from shooting an impressive 6-under-par 65 to win the second leg of the FedEx Cup at 15-under, but it still had a major impact.
Australian Adam Scott in action at the PGA in Norton, Massachusetts.
McIlroy set up three birdies with his short game.
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. Fantasy advice: Defending champ on this course and in good form.
A further gain came at the par-four 12th as he sank a 15-foot putt despite seeing an excellent drive land in a divot on the fairway, and McIlroy immediately atoned for a bogey at the 17th by birdieing the last. 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. He switched from a Nike putter to a Scotty Cameron mallet-style model and formalized a working relationship with putting guru Phil Kenyon, who has previously helped the likes of Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen.
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“Obviously the Ryder Cup is there as well but, individually, FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai, were the two things that I really wanted to focus in on, and this has given me a real shot at trying to win that FedEx Cup for the first time”. He was excited about where he was headed.
