The TPC Boston and the Deutsche Bank Championship have been especially cruel to 54 hole leaders.
It’s been that way for six years and that’s the way it was once again on Monday.
Rory McIlroy, who spent the three previous days breaking out of his long putting slump, holed a bunch of putts, made seven birdies and made up eight shots on overnight leader Paul Casey. McIlroy went into the final 18 six back of Casey and his closing 65 gave him a winning 15-under par total and a victory margin of two shots over Casey, who found the going too tough and wound up with a 73.
“Things can turn around very quickly in this game,” McIlroy said after he quickly turned around his game thanks to a new putter and a new putting coach. He dumped his Nike Method flat stick in favor of a Scotty Cameron prototype mallet. He also got help from putting guru Phil Kenyon.
The week started out quit poorly for McIlroy. He was four over par for his first three holes thanks to a bogey and a triple-bogey. He would play the next 15 four-under par to shoot 71 and set the stage for his closing rounds of 67, 66 and Monday’s 65. “I think those last 15 holes on Friday were definitely a turning point not just in this tournament but maybe in my season.”
The win was McIlroy’s first on the PGA Tour since Quail Hollow in 2015. The victory moved him to the fourth overall spot on the FedEx Cup points race and if he can play well this week at the BMW and end up in the top five going into Atlanta, he has control of his own destiny.
For Casey, the magic of Sunday was gone. He managed just two birdies against four bogeys and he saw McIlroy wrestle the lead from him by the time he made the turn. But his consolation was the runner up finish moved him from 59th to 10th in the cup race.
Jimmy Walker’s 70 got him to 12-under and solo third. Adam Scott’s 65 earned him fourth place at 11-under par.
The top 70 move on to the BMW this week at Crooked Stick.
