McIlroy Crowned FedEx Champ - Henderson Falls Short at CP Women's Open
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By Doug Hirdle
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After a tumultuous year for the PGA, Rory McIlroy rallied back from six shots and overcame what many thought was impossible to overtake Scottie Scheffler.
The win saw Rory McIlroy, who ended the final day with a 4-under 66, walk away with the Tour Championship and his third FedEx Cup. It also saw the seasoned golfer pushing his winnings for the season to more than $26 million for the season.
Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 66 ended up tied with Sungjae Im after he fell behind on the 14th with a double bogey. McIlroy called the final round a “spectacle,” and not in response to the crowds calling his name, but because it featured what he called two of the best players going head to head. The battle between the two seemed almost mute, with Scheffler ahead by at least two shots right through to the 70th hole.
However, Scheffler ended up watching his lead disappear after hitting birdies on four holes during the final round, and that allowed McIlroy to build up a six shot lead. The two continued to battle straight to the end at East Lake in what many called nail-biting action.
For McIlroy’s part, he sunk a thirty foot birdie putt to save par on the 15th hole to tie the lead, and on the next hole, he overshot the green by twenty yards only to save par after sinking a 7 feet put, while Scheffler recorded a bogey, but from there on, they both shot par.
The battle continued with Scheffler’s 4-iron shot on the 18th falling short and dropping into a bunker before sending it to the green, while McIlroy’s shot went left before he corrected and managed to par after getting onto the green.
McIlroy, who won his first Fed Ex Cup in 2016, won his second in 2019, but after a year that has seen the PGA in a nasty fight with the Saudi-funded LIV Golf, this year’s FedEx Cup might have been his sweetest of all.
After all, it was Rory McIlroy who, for the past two years, has declared his loyalty to the PGA Tour and one of the few who joined Tiger Woods last week during a player-only meeting last week that resulted in some significant changes next season.
“I believe in the game of golf. I believe in this tour, in particular. I believe in the players on this tour,” McIlroy said. It’s the greatest place in the world to play golf, bar none, and I’ve played all over.”
Henderson Ends up 5- Under at the CP Women’s Cup
In other golf news, Canada’s Brooke Henderson ended up finishing the final round 2- under par at the CP Women’s Open and ended the tournament at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in 49th place with a score of 5- under par.
While Henderson, who won the CP Open in 2018 and recently won her second career major at this season’s Evian Championship in July, managed to find her groove on the back nine in the second round but struggled on the back nine during the fourth.
The Canadian favourite began the final round with a birdie to put her 1-under par, but during her next five holes, she shot over par, and it wasn’t until the last hole that she managed to score a birdie to put her even.
However, Henderson improved on the front, scoring two back-to-back pars before adding another birdie on the third hole. That kept Henderson even, and her birdies on the 6th and 7th holes put her at 2-under for the day and 5-under for the tournament.
Both the PGA and LPG will resume action in September, with the PGA making a stop at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California, before heading to Wisconsin for the Ryder Cup, while the LPG will gear up for the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio.
