Who else ? At the end of what was the most controversial season in the history of golf, no one could have secured a victory as significant as Rory McIlroy at the Tour Championship. Facing the wind, the prince of the PGA stood tall until the end.
Posted at 5:56 p.m.
Updated at 7:00 p.m.
The tournament of the fourth player in the world began in the pouring rain with a triple bogey on the first hole. It ends with the title of champion of the circuit and the FedEx Cup series. A week like the tumultuous season that the Northern Irish have just experienced.
With all the controversy surrounding the birth of the LIV Golf series and the departure of dozens of players to the Saudi Tour, McIlroy’s status as the PGA Tour’s top ambassador will have come to fruition. Among all the players on the most important circuit in the world, it is he who will have played the role of captain and who will have defended his crew against all odds in recent months.
Like any good captain, McIlroy was the last to leave the ship and finish the tournament with a very short putt for the victory to claim his third Tour Championship title. Never seen.
“It means a lot to me. I have faith in our sport. I have faith in this circuit and in the players on this circuit. It’s the best place in the world to play golf, hands down, and I’ve played all over the planet. It’s a very proud moment for me, but it should be for the PGA Tour too,” McIlroy said after the tournament, holding the trophy.
PHOTO ADAM HAGY, USA TODAY SPORTS
Rory McIlroy
come back stronger
The FedEx Cup playoffs are played over three tournaments and culminate in the Tour Championship, where the remaining 30 players meet. This season, the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta was crowned the season’s champion.
It would have been hard to bet on McIlroy, who was ranked seventh at the start of the week. It would have been even more difficult to bet on the 33-year-old on Sunday, knowing that his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, had a six-stroke lead.
“I’ve been in the final group three times in the last five years. […] I knew it was going to be tough today,” McIlroy said.
Especially since Scheffler had a quite remarkable season. He’s topped the world rankings for 24 of the past 25 weeks, won four of his last 16 tournaments, including the Masters, and won more than $14 million in prize money.
However, the 26-year-old Texan collapsed in the final round. His lead melted like ice cream in the sun and by the seventh hole, Scheffler and McIlroy were tied. His lack of precision and his many hesitations will have sunk him. It will only have reached 57% of fairways and 50% of greens in regulation. He gave a card of 73 (+ 3), for a cumulative of – 20.
In contrast, McIlroy was on a mission. He skipped the Masters and the British Open earlier this season, so he was starving. “I told Scottie instead that we split the Georgia trophies. He had the Masters tournament and I had this one. »
Relentlessly, he followed Scheffler, without being in a class apart. However, he pulled through when it mattered most and that’s how he stood out. Especially on the seventh hole, where he wedged a very long birdie to join his rival in the lead. At 14e also, where he saved the par after two erratic first shots into the long grass and into one of the pits. Or at 15e, where everything was decided, when, on the peninsula of this par 3, he sent a 31-foot roll to the bottom of the cup for the birdie. A “Come on” feeling ensued, and the crowd surged. Crowd which, moreover, maintained an obvious bias for the eventual champion while “Rory, Rory” was heard during the last three holes. He gave a card of 66 (- 4) and a cumulative score of – 21.
Rory McIlroy is not only ending this 2022 season with a third title and an additional $18 million that this triumph offers him. Above all, he ends this season with the feeling of accomplishment.