Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy has won his third FedEx Cup over the current World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and 2020 Masters runner-up Sungjae Im at the end of the 2021-22 PGA Tour season. This win also marked McIlroy’s 22nd career win on PGA Tour on all-time record.
“This is an incredibly 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 are getting through it and that was a spectacle out there today,” McIlroy said.
The Northern Irishman also said the FedEx Cup victory would at least help “soften the blow” after he lost at the 150th Open Championship. He shared the lead after 54 holes but eventually finished in third place behind the eventual winner Cameron Smith.
“St Andrews was really hard for me. It was a tough one to get over,” McIlroy said.
“This softens the blow a little bit. It doesn’t make it that much easier to get over, but it’s great to end the season on a high note like this.”
McIlroy, the former World No.1 himself, has also been one of the most influential figures during golf’s ongoing power struggle. He participated in a meeting held earlier this August to discuss the LIV Golf and the threat it poses. After winning the FedEx Cup, McIlroy made his support for PGA Tour known and said the Tour was the best place to play golf.
“It [FedExCup victory] 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.”
McIlroy received $18 million as a prize for his win. This victory marked his fifth title of the season.
The winning moment for @McIlroyRory 🏆 pic.twitter.com/kW541guw2z
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2022
McIlroy vs Scheffler
Scheffler started this year with one of golf’s best all-time victory runs. He scored an eight-week, four-win streak that culminated in a Masters championship in April. He and McIlroy shaped the PGA Tour for the majority of 2022 and eventually became the final two players standing in the final round.
Scheffler had a six-stroke lead at the beginning of Sunday’s final round. McIlroy bogeyed the 14th and then scored a 32-footer for birdie. He later flew the green but was able to save par with a seven-footer while Scheffler missed his nine-foot par putt. This eventually allowed McIlroy to score a one-stroke lead, which was his first time taking lead in the entire tournament.
Big par save for @McIlroyRory. Costly bogey for Scheffler.
Rory McIlroy now leads by 1 with two to play @PlayoffFinale. pic.twitter.com/7DRWXS8nWc
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2022
McIlroy had a birdie putt on the 17th, which rolled just past the hole while Scheffler failed to score a hole. Meanwhile, Im had tied with Scheffler at 20-under, and barely missed a birdie putt which would have given him a lead.
When they headed to the 18th, McIlroy had led ahead of Scheffler and Im. Scheffler left with a seven-footer for par and McIlroy had two strokes to cover 21 feet, allowing him to win the Tour Championship with a gentle tap-in par.
“What a week, what a day,” McIlroy said. “I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of this. He’s a hell of a competitor. It was an honour to battle with him.”