Northern Ireland star becomes the second man to claim two FedEx Cup
Los Angeles, Monday
Rory McIlroy fired a four-under-par 66 to win the PGA Tour Championship and claim the $15 million (Sh1.5 billion) FedEx Cup jackpot on Sunday.
Northern Ireland star McIlroy won the two titles for the second time following his win in 2016 after world number one Brooks Koepka suffered a final-round collapse at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Course.
McIlroy finished the tournament on 18 under, four shots clear of Xander Schauffele, who posted a closing 70 to finish on 14 under.
McIlroy joins Tiger Woods as the only player to win the FedEx Cup playoff series twice.
For McIlroy, it was sweet redemption following a disappointing showing in last year’s Tour Championship when he faded from contention with an error-strewn four-over-par 74 in the final round as Woods clinched a memorable victory.
“I didn’t enjoy the walk up to 18 last year. I played terribly, got myself into the final group, but I never took the fight to Tiger,” McIlroy said.
“Going up against the No. 1 player in the world today (Koepka), he got one over on me in Memphis and I wanted to get some revenge today. To play like that alongside Brooks and get the win and win the FedEx Cup, it’s awesome. It’s amazing how different things can be in a year.”
McIlroy, playing alongside Koepka in the final pairing, had started the final round one shot behind his partner.
Koepka had taken the lead earlier Sunday after the players returned to the course to complete the third round, which had been abandoned on Saturday after an electrical storm that injured six spectators.
Koepka finished the third round with a closing birdie for a two-under-par 68, edging one shot clear of McIlroy and Xander Schauffele at 15 under. But Koepka’s third round momentum didn’t extend to the final. -AFP
