Father Time fuels McIlroy title win
WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS
World No 2 Rory McIlroy said his recent return to top form was motivated by the realisation that at 30 he faces a ticking career clock, after he won his fourth event of the year at the WGC-HSBC Champions on Sunday.
McIlroy was the class of the field throughout the tournament, which ended when he defeated defending champion Xander Schauffele in a sudden-death playoff. It was the Northern Irishman's first win in east Asia's premier event and keeps him on course in a personal quest to retake the world's top golf ranking that he last held in 2015.
McIlroy went a rock-solid 67-67-67-68 for the tournament and said his resurgence was fuelled by the fact that "I don't have as much time left as I used to when I was 20."
"Even if I'm having a bad day, I'm trying over every single shot.
My concentration is better and my mental capacity on the golf course is much better than it ever has been," he said."I think that's a big key to why I'm able to play consistently week-in, week-out."
He had a one-stroke lead stepping to the 18th tee of regulation play but nearly put his drive into the imposing lake that hugs the long par-five hole at Sheshan International Golf Club.
He could only salvage a par, leaving him tied with Schauffele after the American carded a birdie. But the Northern Irishman shrugged off the mistake to split the fairway in the playoff replay on 18 as Schauffele's tee shot missed left.
McIlroy went on to win the hole and the US$1.745mn winner's purse. He is coming off a strong 2019 that saw him secure the FedEx Cup, win PGA Tour Player of the Year honours, and climb the world golf rankings.