Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire grew to become the primary three-time winner of the PGA Tour’s playoff title with a sterling comeback in Sunday’s closing spherical of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Membership in Atlanta.
PGA Tour playoffs champions
2022 – Rory McIlroy (NIR)
2021 – Patrick Cantlay (USA)
2020 – Dustin Johnson (USA)
2019 – Rory McIlroy (NIR)
2018 – Justin Rose (ENG)
2017 – Justin Thomas (USA)
2016 – Rory McIlroy (NIR)
McIlroy overcame a six-stroke deficit to slide previous primary seed Scottie Scheffler and declare the $US18 million ($26.2 million) first prize.
McIlroy shot a 4-under-par 66 within the closing spherical and ended up at 21 beneath for the event, capturing a one-stroke victory over Scheffler (73) and South Korea’s Sungjae Im (66).
McIlroy’s effort marked the third-largest final-round comeback on the PGA Tour this 12 months.
It was an epic duel on the again 9 as Scheffler and McIlroy battled nerves of their head-to-head contest within the closing group on the course.
McIlroy pulled even with a birdie on the fifteenth gap from almost 11 metres away.
On the following gap, he appeared in bother however a pitch shot hit the pin and he was capable of sink a par putt from exterior 2 metres. Scheffler took a bogey on the opening after hitting out of a greenside bunker.
Scheffler had an opportunity to regain a share of the lead however failed to attach on a 3-metre birdie putt on the seventeenth. His solely birdie within the closing spherical got here on the par-4 eighth gap.
Im was bidding to change into the primary golfer from Asia to seize the PGA Tour playoff title. Even a double bogey on the 14th gap didn’t derail his probabilities, although settling for par on the par-5 18th turned out expensive.
Xander Schauffele was fourth at 18-under after his 69 within the closing spherical. Max Homa shot 66 on Sunday to complete at 17 beneath, tied with Justin Thomas (68).
Defending champion Patrick Cantlay shot 70 and ended up at 16 beneath in a tie for seventh place with Sepp Straka (68) of Austria.
McIlroy, the 2016 and 2019 tour playoff champion, had a bogey and 4 birdies throughout the primary seven holes of the ultimate spherical.
Scheffler was up six pictures after the suspended third spherical concluded on Sunday morning. McIlroy rolled in birdies in his two remaining holes of the third spherical to get to 17 beneath earlier than starting his final-round surge.
The margin was down to 1 stroke early within the fourth spherical after Scheffler bogeyed the primary, third and sixth holes.
Australia’s Cameron Smith completed twentieth on 9 beneath, 12 pictures off the lead, following a closing spherical of 69.
Adam Scott had a level-par closing spherical to complete twenty fifth on a four-under whole.
Reuters/ABC
