TORONTO — Rory McIlroy gained the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday and gave the PGA Tour a powerful response to the beginning of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational, closing with an 8-under 62 to win a wild race to the end with Justin Thomas and Tony Finau.
McIlroy had his first title protection on the PGA Tour, even when he needed to look forward to it. He gained golf’s fourth-oldest nationwide open in 2019 at Hamilton Golf & Nation Membership, just for the the COVID-19 pandemic to cancel the following two editions.
Thomas pushed him to the top at St. George’s Golf & Nation Membership, and the match successfully ended on the seventeenth gap. McIlroy and Thomas had been tied and within the tough. McIlroy hit a wedge that rolled out to tap-in vary, whereas Thomas missed a 10-foot par putt, a two-shot swing. Thomas closed with a pair of bogeys and nonetheless shot 64.
McIlroy completed at 19-under 261 for a two-stroke victory.
“I really feel prefer it’s getting more durable and more durable to win on the PGA Tour,” McIlroy mentioned. “Simply have a look at the 2 guys that I performed with in the present day. I went out with a lead and needed to shoot 8-under par to get the job accomplished. So the depth of expertise on this tour is admittedly, actually spectacular. And going up in opposition to guys like J.T. and Tony and popping out on high, that’s one thing to really feel actually good about.”
Finau holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 64 to complete second alone.
“Rory performed nice,” Finau mentioned. “He closed it out and hat’s off to him on per week like this. That’s improbable enjoying on the weekend. I performed nice, he simply performed a pair photographs higher.”
Thomas was third at 14 beneath. Justin Rose matched the tournament- and course-record with a 60 — with three eagles and three bogeys — to tie for fourth with Sam Burns (65) at 14 beneath.
Every week earlier than the U.S. Open, the Canadian crowd was monumental having been saved away since 2019, and hundreds surrounded the 18th inexperienced because the threesome of McIlroy, Thomas and Finau completed.
“It was actually cool to be part of and simply actually comfortable to get the win in the present day and clearly units me up effectively going into subsequent week in Boston,” McIlroy mentioned. “However proper now I simply wish to take pleasure in this and deal with this.”
McIlroy has been one of many strongest opponents of the LIV Golf sequence and spoke out in opposition to the cash being paid to gamers like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. Greg Norman, who runs the LIV Golf, mentioned in a narrative within the Washington Publish that McIlroy had been “brainwashed” by the PGA Tour.
McIlroy gained for the second time this season, including to his October win in Las Vegas within the CJ Cup. He gained for the twenty first time on the PGA Tour.
“It is a day I’ll bear in mind for an extended, very long time,“ McIlroy mentioned quickly after the victory. “Twenty-one PGA Tour wins, another than anyone else.”
It was a dig at Norman, who had 20 profession tour wins.
McIlory repeated the jab later within the his important interview session when his victory whole and accomplishments had been famous in his introduction, saying: “And another than Norman.”
“I had additional motivation of what’s occurring throughout the pond,” McIlroy mentioned. “The man that’s spearheading that tour has 20 wins on the PGA Tour and I used to be tied with him and I wished to get one forward of him. And I did. So, that was actually cool for me, just a bit sense of pleasure on that one.”
Rose was 11 beneath with three holes to play. He bogeyed the sixteenth, hit to 2 toes on 17 for birdie, then went over the inexperienced on 18 and missed an 18-foot par putt. Carl Pettersson additionally shot 60 at St. George’s in his 2010 victory.
“I’m completely upset, as a result of you recognize what’s at stake, for certain,” Rose mentioned. “I by no means shot 59 earlier than, so it will have been a stunning footnote on the week.”
He regretted hitting an 8-iron as a substitute of a 9-iron on 18 with 159 yards to the pin.
“I don’t know the way a lot was in my management or not, however we had been proper in between two golf equipment and I went the unsuitable method on a call and paid the value for it,” he mentioned.
Corey Conners was the highest Canadian, taking pictures a 62 to complete sixth at 12 beneath.
“Felt like the previous couple of days I performed actually solidly,” Conners mentioned. “Simply previous few weeks even, simply hadn’t maximized the sport, hadn’t acquired as a lot out of the sport as I wished. Positively, good to have low spherical in the present day. Performed very well. Positively, felt it coming.”
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