The future of the PGA Tour couldn’t be discussed this season without Rory McIlroy’s name on the lips. On Sunday at the 2022 Tour Championship, McIlroy reminded himself that he is just as integral in the present. Despite trailing by 10 shots at East Lake Golf Club in the final FedEx Cup Playoffs event, McIlroy (-21) rallied on Sunday to usurp world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, becoming the first three-time winner in FedEx Cup history and collects the $18 million first prize that comes with the trophy.
Unlike some tournaments where he sinks into a hole he has to fight back from, which he certainly did when he started this event with a triple bogey on Thursday, McIlroy was in the conversation from the start at East Lake by posting 67. in consecutive rounds for open play. However, it was the back-to-back third round that concluded early on Sunday that made him a real contender as Rory birdied three of his last six holes to shoot a 63 and claim his place alongside Scheffler in the final par as he put pressure on the 54-hole leader despite a six-stroke deficit.
“I’ve been in the final group here three of the last five years,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t give myself much chance to play today. Six behind, I thought it would be very difficult to make up. But [between] my good game and Scottie’s not-so-great game, it was a ball game going into the back nine.”
McIlroy’s fourth round started with a bogey, but he pulled even with Scheffler after the Texan put three bogeys on his scorecard in the opening six holes. With McIlroy making five birdies in his first 12 holes, the race officially began when the two hit the turn. Another bogey on the 14th pushed McIlroy behind Scheffler, but Rory responded immediately with a stunning 31-foot birdie putt on the 15th that sent the crowd into a frenzy and put him back on par at the table classification
It was the par-4 16th where McIlroy almost came unstuck. Sitting in a fairway bunker after his second shot, his third flew nearly 30 yards over the green. However, Rory’s back chip fell off the flagpole, Scheffler missed a 9-foot putt and McIlroy saved par to take the solo lead and become the first golfer to challenge for the top spot away from Scheffler this week.
Leading by one stroke entering the 18th, McIlroy watched as Scheffler found a bunker only to follow by bouncing his own approach off the fairway into the dirt. When Scheffler airmailed the green with his third shot from the bunker, it left McIlroy with the option of playing conservatively to the middle of the green and two-putting for the FedEx Cup crown.
“I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of that today,” McIlroy said for the first time after being introduced as champion. “He’s had an incredible season. I feel a little bad … but he’s a top competitor. He’s an even better guy. It was an honor and a privilege to wrestle with him today.”
Scheffler, a four-time PGA Tour winner this season and the best golfer in the world for most of the year, tied for second with Sungjae Im; each took home $5.75 million, splitting second and third prize.
McIlroy later referred to the “Battle of Georgia” between the two titans of the game as Scheffler edged out McIlroy at the 2022 Masters at Augusta National in April. While bounces went the 26-year-old’s way at the first major championship of the year (and for much of the year), on Sunday, the golf gods willed victory to the Irishman from Nord, offsetting a season that featured four top-10 finishes at major championships, including a heartbreaker (at The Open Championship at St. Andrews), left McIlroy sour.
“It means a lot [to win the Tour Championship]” McIlroy said. “I believe in the game of golf. I believe in this particular tour. I believe in the players on this tour. It’s the greatest place in the world to play golf, hands down, and I’ve played all over the world.
“This is an incredibly proud moment for me, but it should also be an incredibly proud moment for the PGA Tour. We’ve had some tough times this year, but we’re getting through it. It was a show today… – two of the best players around the world go head-to-head for the PGA Tour’s biggest prize — and I hope everyone at home enjoyed it.”
Becoming the figurehead of the PGA Tour, leading the charge against the new LIV Golf Series and still being able to perform at his highest level on the biggest stage, the taste of victory was that much sweeter for McIlroy in Atlanta .
In a week that began with McIlroy and Tiger Woods spearheading efforts off the golf course to secure the future of the game, it was McIlroy’s performance inside the ropes that proved once again that the PGA Tour cannot recreate
Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the 2022 Tour Championship standings at East Lake Golf Club.
T2. Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im (-20): The stars aligned for Scheffler to claim history at East Lake. Starting the week with a two-stroke lead, increasing it to seven and starting the final round with a six-stroke lead, Scheffler simply let the FedEx Cup slip through his fingers. After playing his final six holes in 4 under to close out his third round on Sunday morning, it seemed inevitable that this week would continue in the same fashion as the spring when he picked up his four wins.
With a win, Scheffler would have secured the richest season in PGA Tour history and just the fifth five-win season in the past decade, joining Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. It would also have put a stamp on what has been a breakout campaign. While the $12.25 million difference between the first prize and Scheffler’s T2 sum may sting, Scheffler will take solace in an incredibly great season. He’s likely to be named your PGA Tour Player of the Year and still be No. 1 in the world, but unfortunately, sometimes even the best fall short when the lights are brightest.
An adopted son of Atlanta, Im was casually going about his business and did his best to recover from a major back bug on Sunday. He had come within a stroke of the lead on several occasions, but it was a double bogey on the par-4 14th that finally took his name out of FedEx Cup contention. With just one win to his credit on the season, Im’s consistency finally paid dividends in the form of a shared second place finish. He entered the postseason with back-to-back runner-up finishes and carried that momentum into three straight top-15 finishes. It’s easy to forget that I’m only 24, and who’s to say a Scheffler-type season isn’t on the horizon for him as he now hopes to lead the international team to a major upset at the Presidents Cup in September.
4. Xander Schauffele (-18): The East Lake sage was one of three players to touch the lead during the Tour Championship, but Schauffele immediately made it back. Without Saturday’s rain delay, we might be talking about a different story, but in the end, the weekend was his eventual undoing. Schauffele, one of four players who didn’t break par in the third round, couldn’t keep up with his competitor, Scheffler, and ultimately the rest of the field.
T5. Max Homa, Justin Thomas (-17): Homa, the man who claimed the first tournament of the 2021-22 campaign, ended his season in impressive fashion. Playing his final 56 holes in 18 under, Homa was able to climb from the depths of the leaderboard and into a seven-figure payday. The king of self-belief should only continue that trajectory heading into next year, having picked up two wins, a top-five finish at the Tour Championship and (very likely) a U.S. appearance at the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. – the site of his first PGA Tour victory — on his playing resume.
T7. Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka (-16): This week has had all the tools for back-to-back FedEx Cup titles for Cantlay as the PGA Tour Player of the Year was a fitting performance to walk away from the top prize of the year. Starting the week in second place at 8 under, the Californian was a mainstay on the front page of the leaderboard despite some struggles on the greens. Cantlay was among the leaders in both ball-striking metrics, though he was unusually ranked outside the top 25 in strokes gained by just 29 players. Statistically it was better than last season, but despite this achievement, the hardware contribution of the 30-year-old Zurich Classic and BMW Championship seems a bit light.