Rory McIlroy won the Tour Championship for a second time in four years to secure the FedEx Cup title in Atlanta last night.
McIlroy carded a final-round 66 to finish on 18 under par at East Lake Golf Club, four shots ahead of second-placed Xander Schauffele and five clear of world number one Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy's playing partner Koepka took a one-shot lead into the final round after a weather-delayed third round in Atlanta but McIlroy made four birdies in his first 13 holes to put him in the driving seat.
Koepka ran up a double bogey on the seventh and a hat-trick of bogeys on the back nine.
It's the second time McIlroy has won the FedEx Cup, having beaten Kevin Kisner and Ryan Moore in a play-off in 2016. The money prize then was $10 million for the season-ending winner.
Koepka got the better of the Northern Irishman four weeks ago at the World Golf Championships event in Memphis. And McIlroy said afterwards that was playing on his mind throughout yesterday's final round.
“Once I saw I was in the final group with Brooks, it just took me back to Memphis a few weeks ago,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I learned a few lessons that day. … I wanted to right some of the wrongs that I made that Sunday in Memphis.”
“Sometimes I try to treat Sundays the same as a Thursday or Friday, and they’re not. I go into them maybe a little too relaxed. … Brooks went out there in Memphis and shot 65 and just basically dominated the tournament, dominated me. And I realized if I want to become the dominant player in the world again, I need to be more like that.
“I guess that’s the ultimate compliment I can give Brooks is today I wanted to be a little bit more like him.”
Thank you to all the fans from around the world for your incredible support throughout the season especially those in Atlanta this week. It truly means so much to me. Now it’s time to celebrate! 🏆🍷 🎉 🥳 https://t.co/TChzWyr6uX
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) August 26, 2019
It's been a strange season for McIlroy, and yet he ends the year on the ultimate high.
McIlroy won The Players Championship back in March, the RBC Canadian Open, and now the FedExCup. In his 19 starts, he ended up with 14 top-10 finishes this season (the most on tour).
Schauffele shot a final round of 70, while in the end, Koepka faded with a final round of 72 to finish in a tie for third with Justin Thomas.
The Tour Championship started with an accumulated points handicapped scoring system for the first time ever. McIlroy began the tournament on five under, five off the automatic lead held by Justin Thomas.
Koepka was full of praise for the four-time major winner after the tournament drew to a close.
“His game is in great form right now,” Koepka said. “It’s really impressive to watch. Like I’ve said multiple times, he’s the most fun to watch when he’s playing well. He hits it so good, he putts it really well, and when he’s on, man, he’s tough to beat.”
