Rory McIlroy has worn a lot of hats over the past 24 months. He’s been the face of the PGA Tour, he’s fired out against LIV, he’s played better than anyone else in the world and now he’s back on top in the world of golf.
McIlroy went on a three-birdie run late Sunday and powered his way to a repeat victory at the CJ Cup, closing with 67 at testy Congaree for an impressive 17-under par effort.
The victory catapulted Rors back into the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings and pushed him past the $68 million mark in career earnings. Most of all, the win rewarded him for his continued hard work in all facets of the game.
“I’ve worked so hard over the last 12 months to get back to this place,” McIlroy said after staving off challenges from Kurt Kitayama, K.H. Lee and Jon Rahm. “I feel like I’m enjoying the game as much as I ever have. I played with that joy and it’s definitely showed over these last few months.”
And he didn’t hold back about being No. 1 again. “It’s a big achievement. I’m really proud of myself right now. This felt like a long time coming. It sort of illustrates you can have your runs and you can stay there, but I think the cool part is the journey and the journey getting back there,” Rory said, getting a bit emotional. “It’s sort of like a heavyweight boxer losing a world title and it’s a journey to get that title back. I feel like that’s the cool part of it and that’s the journey that I’ve sort of been through over the past 12 months.”
Things were very tight at the top through 54 holes. McIlroy was at the top of the leader-board at 13-under after shooting 67 on Saturday. But Rahm, Kitayama and Lee were right on his heels at 12-under. Going into the back nine it became a four-man race to the finish. Rahm and Lee backed down over the final nine but Kitayama refused to go away. McIlroy birdied the 12th then went on a winner’s run starting at the tough 247-yard par three 14th where his tee shot stopped just inside 14 feet and he converted that birdie putt. Easy birdie at the short par four 15th then the clincher came when he holed one from 21 feet at 16. That pretty much closed the door on Kitayama and Lee and allowed Rory the comfort of a bogey-bogey finish that didn’t matter.
McIlroy’s game has reached new level — even by his standards. His weaknesses used to be the short wedges that would stop 20 feet from the hole and a putter that betrayed him when he needed it most. Work with Brad Faxon has taken care of the putting issue and pure hard work has made him a threat with wedge in hand.
McIlroy now has 23 wins and more to come. He’s passed the $68 million mark in career earnings and you wonder if he can get to that lofty $100 million mark set by Tiger Woods?
He’s done all this along with putting the PGA Tour on his shoulders. Rory’s the face of the Tour and conducts himself with class on and off the course. He’s their prime Defender Of The Faith in the threat from the Infidel-funded LIV money grab for aging, injured former stars.
Great start to Rory’s 2022-23 season. Next up for the reigning FedEx Cup champion? It’s the DP World Tour Championship on Nov. 17 in Dubai where Rory goes for the double, looking to add the DP World Tour’s Race To Dubai title to that FedEx Cup win.
And as Rory said, he’s enjoying the game more than ever.
It’s good to be No. 1.
