GOLF: US TOURRORY McILROY'S aura of invincibility was reaffirmed with a domineering performance in the final round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick in Indiana, when the 23-year-old Ulster man claimed a third title in his last four outings to consolidate his position as world number one and to strengthen his quest to claim the US Tour's $10 million bonus to the player who heads the season-ending FedEx Cup play-off series.
McIlroy added the BMW title to the US PGA and Deutsche Bank championships he has won inside the past month with a finishing round of 67 for 268, 20-under-par, for a two-shot winning margin over Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood.
In throwing down the gauntlet from the start, McIlroy – who trailed Vijay Singh and Mickelson by a stroke after 54-holes – played an impeccable round for 17 holes which yielded six birdies and a lone bogey on the 18th to solidify his place atop the US Tour money list.
McIlroy’s fourth tour win of a stellar season was based on supreme driving and accurate iron play that saw him birdie the second (two feet), fifth (five feet), ninth, 10th, 14th and 16th holes.
His longest birdie putt was a 15-footer on the 16th as he closed the deal and only faltered on the 18th when failing to get up and down after taking water out of play with his approach and missing the green to the left.
“I did some great work on the range last night, drove the ball beautifully.” observed McIlroy. “I just wanted to go out and play as best as I could.
“I knew if I played to my ability I would win events. I didn’t think everything would happen so quickly. I’m on a great run at the minute, trying to keep it going as long as possible . . . the fields are really deep and it is great to be able to win events like this where the quality of the field is so good.”
He added: “I feel this is where I belong, I’ve always wanted to play on the PGA Tour and it is working out pretty good so far.”
In becoming the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win back-to-back tournaments on the PGA Tour, McIlroy showed himself to be the in-form player in the game and on target to claim the $10 million bonus which will be decided after next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
The top-30 on the FedEx Cup rankings progress to the Tour Championship, but have a week’s break from tour play before teeing up in the finale which takes place a week ahead of the Ryder Cup at Medinah in Chicago.
Woods shot a closing 68 for 271, four shots behind McIlroy. “I figured I’d have to shoot 29 or 30 on the back nine . I didn’t do it, Rory’s put on a show and we’ve got one more tournament,” said Woods, ranked second behind McIlroy in the FedEx Cup standings with just the Tour Championship remaining.
Pádraig Harrington’s double bogey five on the 17th killed any outside chance of inveigling a way into the Tour Championship finale next week, as the Dubliner finished with a 73 for 278, 10-under, that left him in tied-16th for the tournament but in 43rd (and outside the qualifying top-30) on the FedEx Cup standings.
Graeme McDowell also missed out on a place in the field for Atlanta after a poor closing round of 78, which dropped him 25 places to tied-34th on the 282 mark. The biggest loser from the final in terms of FedEx Cup was Singh, who dropped from tied-first to eighth in the tournament and out of the top-30 on the overall standings.
