- Beats Scottie Scheffler and Im Sung-jae to claim $18 million top prize.
- Shot a final round 66 at East Lake in Atlanta to finish with score of 21-under 263.
Rory McIlroy came back from being six strokes behind in the final round to beat top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and win the PGA’s Tour Championship on Sunday. This was his third FedEx Cup title, which is a record.
The 33-year-old golfer from Northern Ireland shot a four-under-par 66 and finished at East Lake in Atlanta with a score of 21-under 263.
McIlroy won the $18 million top prize in the season-ending playoff showdown by one stroke over reigning Masters champion Scheffler, who shot a 73 on Sunday, and South Korean Im Sung-jae.
“I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of this,” McIlroy said. “I feel sort of bad that I pipped him to the post.”
McIlroy has been a big supporter of the PGA Tour in its fight against the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series. When he accepted the trophy, he said that it was more special to win this year because of that.
“It means an awful lot,” McIlroy said. “I believe in the game of golf. I believe in this tour in particular. I believe in the players on this tour. It’s the greatest place in the world to play golf bar none and I’ve played all over the world.
“This is an incredbly proud moment for me but it should also be an incredibly proud moment for the PGA Tour. They have had some hard times this year but we’re getting through it.
“That was a spectacle out there today, two of the best players in the world going head-to-head for the biggest prize on the PGA Tour.”
McIlroy, who is ranked fourth, won the 2016 and 2019 Tour Championships. He came back from 11 strokes down late in the second round and 6 strokes down when the final round started to win both times.
McIlroy made an amazing birdie putt from just inside 32 feet on the par-3 15th. The ball broke to the left and fell into the hole, tying him with Scheffler for the lead on 21-under.
McIlroy shot out of a bunker way past the 16th green, but he pitched the ball to within eight feet of the hole and made the par putt. Scheffler, on the other hand, missed a par putt from just inside nine feet, giving McIlroy the lead.
As the tension rose, they both parred 17.
Scheffler’s second shot on the par-4 18th hole went into a bunker near the green, while McIlroy’s second shot went off the left grandstand and into deep rough.
Scheffler hit his shot from the sand over the green, then pitched it back onto the green. McIlroy, on the other hand, chipped onto the green and made two putts for par and the win.
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