A barnstorming performance from Rory McIlroy saw him come from six shots behind to win the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston on Monday.
Starting the day on nine under, six adrift of Paul Casey, McIlroy carded a final round of 65 to finish on 15 under, two ahead of Casey who could only manage a round of 73.
The win not only earns McIlroy a cheque for $1,530,000 but also propels him up the FedEx Cup standings. Starting the week in 38th place, the Northern Irishman is now up to fifth.
Today’s final round was moved forward in the hope of concluding play before winds from Tropical Storm Hermine became too severe but players had to contend with strong gusts and challenging conditions at TPC Boston.
US PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker finished third on 12 under after a second successive 70 while Adam Scott ended with three straight birdies to match McIlroy’s 65 and take fourth on 11 under. Patrick Reed, who tied for fifth with Fabian Gomez, retained the overall lead in the FedExCup standings.
McIlroy was four over after the first three holes of his first round, but his recovery after that poor start was outstanding. The world number five’s bunker play was brilliant on Monday, while his putting, a cause of frustration in the recent past, was solid.
He got into his stride with a birdie at the second and picked up further shots at the fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth to reach the turn in 31. Another birdie at the 12th gave him the outright lead for the first time and, although he gave a shot back at the 17th, he finished positively with a four at the par-five 18th.
Casey began badly with bogeys at the second and fifth and could not keep pace. He did birdie the seventh, but missed a short par putt at the 11th and dropped another shot at 14. He had an eagle putt at the last to force a play-off, but ended up parring the hole.
McIlroy, who shot 19 under for his final 69 holes, told Sky Sports: “From three holes in — four over par — there were a lot of things going through my mind, and one of them was not winning this tournament. “So 69 holes later — I played some great golf and holed some great putts. I’m just really proud of myself, how I hung in there on the first day and then got some momentum on Saturday. Then I just went with it. “It’s nice to get that first win in the States this year and hopefully I can take this momentum into the next couple of weeks and ultimately the Ryder Cup.”
Olympic champion Justin Rose, who began the day level with McIlroy on nine under, fell away badly after an eight-over-par 79, thanks largely to two triple bogeys on the back nine. He finished in a tie for 57th, but has still done enough to move on to the next event.
