McIlroy shoots a 61 to seal win in Canada
Rory McIlroy ran away with the Canadian Open, closing with a 9-under-par 61 on Sunday for a seven-shot victory in Ancaster, Ontario.
Starting the day in a three-way tie for the lead, McIlroy ended any suspense about who would emerge as the champion with five birdies in his first seven holes, none from longer than eight feet.
It was McIlroy’s 16th PGA Tour victory, 25th win worldwide and fourth by at least seven shots. The world’s fourth-ranked player will hope to ride the momentum into this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
The only question on the back nine was whether McIlroy would shoot the 11th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history. He made four straight birdies from Nos. 11 to 14, and a bogey on the par-3 16th stalled him momentarily. He followed with a 7-iron from 196 yards to 21/2 feet for eagle on the par-5 17th to get to 10 under at par-70 Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
But he missed the green on the par-4 18th, and his bunker shot went long. He ended up tapping in for bogey to finish at a tournament-record 22-under 258. The 61 equaled the low round of McIlroy’s PGA Tour career.
Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson tied for second at 15 under.
Adam Hadwin, seeking to become the first Canadian winner of the event since 1954, closed with a 70 and finished sixth, 10 shots back. His consolation prize was a spot in the British Open at Royal Portrush in July.
Graeme McDowell also earned his place in the British Open. The native of Portrush, Northern Ireland, guaranteed a tee time in his hometown by holing a hardbreaking 29-footer for par on the par-4 18th to shoot 68 and finish in a tie for eighth. This year’s Open will be the first in Northern Ireland since its only previous visit to Royal Portrush in 1951.
The victory in McIlroy’s Canadian Open debut was his fifth in a national open, following the U.S. Open (2011), Australian Open (2013), British Open (2014) and Irish Open (2016). McIlroy also counts the Hong Kong Open (2011) as part of his national championship tally.
LPGA TOUR: Lexi Thompson made a 20-foot putt for an eagle on the 18th hole to complete a late comeback and win the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J.
Trailing Jeongeun Lee6 by two strokes after the 15th hole, Thompson finished birdie-par-eagle to finish up a round of 4-underpar 67 for a 54-hole score of 12-under 201. She posted her 11th career LPGA Tour victory, extending her streak to seven straight years with at least one win on the tour.
Lee6, the champion of last week’s U.S. Women’s Open who was playing two groups behind Thompson, lost her lead with three consecutive bogeys from holes 13 through 15 over the Bay Course at Seaview before bouncing back with a birdie at No. 16 to tie Thompson.
Needing an eagle to force a playoff after reaching the green in two, she just missed a 45-foot putt to tie and had to settle for a birdie, giving her a 70 and second place, one stroke back at 202.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: Scott McCarron had three birdies on the back nine to pull away for a 5-under 67 and a three-shot victory in the Japan Championship in Chiba.
McCarron, who finished at 13under 203 at Narita Golf Club, won for the third time this year to extend his lead in the Charles Schwab Cup. It was his fourth straight year of multiple victories.
Billy Andrade (68) and Kirk Triplett (69) tied for second.