McIlroy pulls away to win CJ Cup for 20th PGA win
LAS VEGAS – Rory McIlroy capped off a big weekend in Las Vegas on Sunday by surging past Rickie Fowler and holding off Collin Morikawa to win the CJ Cup at Summit for his 20th PGA Tour title.
McIlroy seized control with a 35-foot eagle putt from just off the green on the par-5 14th and then playing mistakefree down the stretch for a 6-under 66 and a one-victory.
McIlroy is the 39th player to win at least 20 times on the PGA Tour, and it’s his fifth straight PGA Tour season with at least one win.
Fowler, who started the final round with a two-shot lead as he tried to end nearly three years without a victory, faded with a pair of three-putts and shot 71 to tie for third. The threat came from Morikawa, a member at The Summit Club, who shot 29 on the front to get in the mix and closed with an eagle for a 62.
That forced McIlroy to play mistakefree after his big eagle putt on the 14th, and he never came close to a bogey in finishing at 25-under 263.
“It is a big carrot,” McIlroy said of the 20 wins. “I didn’t know it would be this week.”
He went into the weekend nine shots out of the lead, made up plenty of ground with a 62 on Saturday and then pulled away by taking advantage of the scoring holes.
It was similar to his first win on the PGA Tour in 2010 at Quail Hollow. McIlroy was nine shots behind going into the weekend at that tournament and closed with rounds of 66-62 to win.
Morikawa was watching from the balcony overlooking the 18th green to see if he would get a chance for extra holes, though it was asking a lot for McIlroy to drop a shot on the par-5 closing hole. McIlroy laid back off the tee, played short of the green and hit wedge to the back pin to assure a two-putt par and another trophy.
Part of him was sparked by a disappointing Ryder Cup, when he didn’t win a point until Sunday singles when it was too late and was choked up with emotion talking about it.
He wanted to get back to his roots as a player, and it worked out just fine against a strong field that allowed McIlroy to move from No. 15 in the world to back among the top 10.
Keith Mitchell, who had a five-shot lead going into the weekend until a 73 in the third round, closed with a 67 and tied for third with Fowler.
European Tour
SOTOGRANDE, Spain – Patience paid off for Matt Fitzpatrick at the tough Valderrama course in Spain on Sunday.
The Englishman made 15 straight pars then rallied with two birdies on his last three holes to win the Andalucía Masters by three shots.
Fitzpatrick finished at 6-under 278 for the tournament after closing with a 2-under 69 at the iconic Real Club Valderrama course that hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup in southern Spain.
The 27-year-old Fitzpatrick became the fourth-youngest Englishman to reach seven European Tour victories, behind Peter Oosterhuis, Lee Westwood and Nick Faldo.
Fitzpatrick took advantage of a late collapse by Sebastian Soderberg of Sweden.
PGA Tour Champions
CARY, N.C. – Lee Janzen made a 20foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Miguel Angel Jimenez on Sunday to win the PGA Tour Champions’ SAS Championship.
The 57-year-old Janzen also birdied the par-4 18th in regulation in a closing 5-under 67 in the regular-season finale. The two-time U.S. Open champion won the 2015 ACE Group Classic for his only other senior title.
Jimenez finished with a 69 to match Janzen at 12-under 204 at Prestonwood Country Club. The 57-year-old Spanish player has 10 senior victories. He hit his approach over the green in the playoff and chipped to a foot before Janzen rolled in the winner.