McIlroy ends his PGA Tour drought
Canada’s Hearn moves into top 70 after tying for 8th place at Deutsche
NORTON, MASS. A new putting coach. A new putter. The old Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy rallied from six shots behind Monday and closed with a 6-under 65 for a two-shot victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship, the 20th victory of his career worldwide and his first this year on the PGA Tour.
“Things can turn around very quickly in this game,” McIlroy said.
In his case, it only took 69 holes. McIlroy, who missed the cut in the PGA Championship and was an afterthought last week when the FedEx Cup playoffs began, already was 4-over-par just three holes into this tournament at the TPC Boston. He managed to get back to even par at the end of the opening round, and he was on his way.
He shot 67 on Saturday, 66 on Sunday and then raced by a faltering Paul Casey on Labour Day in strong wind from remnants of Hurricane Hermine.
McIlroy closed out the front nine with three straight birdies to take the lead for the first time. He regained the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 12, and then drilled a fairway metal into the wind and over the hazard on the par-5 18th to set up one last birdie from the bunker.
Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn closed with a 1 under for a share of eighth place. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., finished in a tie for 46th.
Casey, who started the final round with a three-shot lead in his bid for his first PGA Tour victory since 2009, closed with a 73. Casey had a 60-foot eagle putt on the final hole that would have forced a playoff. It went 8 feet by and he missed the meaningless birdie putt.
The only consolation for Casey was his runner-up finish moved him from No. 59 to No. 10 in the FedEx Cup, assuring a spot in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2010. PGA champion Jimmy Walker closed with a 70 to finish third.
The top 70 advance to the BMW Championship, which starts Thursday at Crooked Stick in Indiana. Among those who moved into the top 70 was Hearn who came into the week at No. 92.
McIlroy, who finished at 15-under 269, moves back to No. 3 in the world.
He fell out of the “Big 3” conversation earlier this year when Dustin Johnson won the U.S. Open, Henrik Stenson won the British Open, and McIlroy kept sliding, largely because of his putting. His only victory was the Irish Open in May, and when he missed the cut in the PGA Championship, he sought out popular British putting coach Phil Kenyon. McIlroy also switched putters last week at Bethpage Black, though he was at the bottom of the pack in putting. Not this week. He didn’t need to make everything in the final round, with his driving and short game setting up three early birdies. But he made an 18-foot birdie on the par-3 eighth, and followed that with a 10-footer on the ninth to make the turn in 31.