Rory McIlroy rallies late to win Genesis Scottish Open, first PGA Tour title of 2023

Rory McIlroy was near letting one more PGA Tour lead frustratingly slip away on Sunday.

Beginning the day with a one-shot lead, McIlroy struggled in gusty winds that plagued the Renaissance Membership all day and compelled final-round tee occasions on the Scottish Open to be moved up several hours.

By the point McIlroy reached the seventeenth tee, Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyrebehind a miraculous birdie from the left fescue on 18, posted a Sunday 64 and handed the World No. 3, posting 14 underneath.

McIlroy wanted a par and a birdie over the ultimate two holes, two of the toughest on the course, if he was to tie. He did one higher.

On 17, he judged the mounds within the entrance of the inexperienced completely, bouncing a 5-iron from 190 on the entrance and curling it round to simply four-and-a-half toes for birdie. After making it to tie MacIntyre after which driving simply off the golf green on the 18th, McIlroy once more confirmed his clutch gene.

After altering from a 4 to a 2-iron, McIlroy hit a bullet from 205 to simply 11 toes, rolled within the putt to shoot 68 and completed at 15 underneath for his first PGA Tour title in 2023. The putt appeared to waver within the breeze, and McIlroy didn’t appear to assume it might drop. He broke into laughter and appeared up on the sky when it disappeared.

“I’ve had a couple of shut calls lately, so to recover from the road and to get this little bit of confidence going into subsequent week and the remainder of the season is large,” McIlroy instructed CBS’ Amanda Renner on the 18th inexperienced.

It’s McIlroy’s twenty fourth profession PGA Tour victory, sixteenth on the DP World Tour and second on each excursions this season. He had been enjoying in addition to anybody on this planet the previous few weeks, ending within the high 10 in every of his earlier 5 begins going again to the PGA Championship, together with a runner-up end on the U.S. Open.

In three of these, he held at the least a share of the lead at one level through the ultimate spherical, however couldn’t get the job performed.

However after hitting what he known as two of his finest pictures of the season on the ultimate two holes, his fortunes modified on the good time.

“That is proper up there with the perfect of them,” McIlroy instructed CBS of his two clutch ultimate holes. “I believed if I might birdie one of many final two and get into the playoff, that may be a bonus. To complete 2-3 in these situations … it feels completely superb.”

The birdies from McIlroy and MacIntyre have been simply the second and third on the 18th gap Sunday, which performed greater than six-tenths of a shot over par regardless of the tees being moved up almost 30 yards due to the winds. MacIntyre badly fanned his tee shot left on the ultimate gap towards the fescue, however drew a implausible break discovering a mowed-down path and muscled a fairway wooden to simply 4 toes.

The 26-year-old’s final-round 64 was the perfect of the day by two strokes in his bid to develop into the primary Scot to win his nationwide open since 1999.

Now McIlroy, who wins on European soil for the primary time for the reason that 2016 Irish Open, heads south to Royal Liverpool, the place he was already the favourite for the 151st Open. McIlroy gained his solely Open Championship there in 2014.

Earlier than his most up-to-date main title on the 2014 PGA Championship, McIlroy gained the week prior on the Bridgestone Invitational.

“It’s an amazing shot of confidence,” McIlroy stated. “Having one thing recent in my reminiscence if I hopefully discover myself in the same place subsequent week the place I’ve obtained an opportunity to win with 9 holes to go, I can definitely draw on what I did right here at present.”

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State College, incomes levels in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his highschool golf workforce and nonetheless *tries* to stay aggressive in native amateurs. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but in addition producing, anchoring and even presenting the climate. He may be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.