Rory McIlroy (34-Northern Ireland) pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind victory at the Genesis Scottish Open. On Saturday at The Renaissance Club (par-70) in North Berwick, Scotland, he carded six birdies and four bogeys for a two-stroke total of 15-under 265 in the final four rounds of the tournament. A birdie on the final 18th (par-4) gave him a one-stroke victory over runner-up Robert McIntyre (27-SC). He took home $1.62 million (about 206 million won). It was his second win of the season and 24th career victory on the U.S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, nine months after winning the CJ Cup last October.
The tournament is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and the PGA Tour. McIlroy, who previously won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, became the first player in history to win back-to-back titles on the DP World Tour’s Rolex Series. He also became the first player to win all three national titles, The Open Championship (British Open), Irish Open and Scottish Open. He also holds the US Open and RBC Canadian Open trophies.
McIlroy, who finished the third round with a one-stroke lead over 21-year-old Joo Hyung Kim, dropped two strokes on the day with four bogeys on the front nine. McIlroy, who was playing in the front group, used an eagle on the 10th (par-5) as a springboard, but McIlroy turned things around in the second half. Heading into the 17th (par-3) one 바카라사이트 stroke behind McIlroy, who had finished the match earlier, McIlroy birdied his last two holes. A 3.3-meter birdie putt on the final 18th (par-4) gave McIlroy back the title he had nearly lost to McIlroy. McIlroy, who had made par on the 18th hole in each of his previous three rounds, had the focus to make the birdie in regulation.
After the tournament, McIlroy said, “I’m really proud, it was a tough day. I gave myself a lot of chances. Hopefully this win will break the seal for me.” With momentum in his favor, McIlroy will return to action on Tuesday at the 151st edition of The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Wirral Hoylake, England. It will be the first time in nine years that The Open has been held at Royal Liverpool since 2014, when McIlroy won the tournament. It will be interesting to see if McIlroy can quench his thirst after going nearly nine years without a major trophy since the 2014 PGA Championship.
Among the South Koreans, Ahn Byung-hoon, 32, shot an even-par on the day to finish in a tie for third place at 10-under 270. It was Ahn’s third top-10 finish of the season and earned him a spot in The Open. Playing in the championship group with McIlroy, Kim finished in a tie for sixth place at 9-under par 271. Kim was tied for third through 17 holes, but a double bogey on the 18th after a three-putt dropped him down the leaderboard.