It seemed unlikely on Friday morning, and even more unlikely three holes later - but Rory McIlroy is back winning golf tournaments.
The world number three leaped up the FedEx rankings in the final series tournament in the States from 38th up to fourth. It gives him a shot at the $10 million prize.
McIlroy nearly had an albatross in his penultimate round, and this bunker shot on the same hole in his final round sealed the victory:
.@McIlroyRory closed out the @DBChampionship in style.#ShotOfTheDay https://t.co/EobV2tKQ3v
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 5, 2016
McIlroy had been so far out of form coming into the tournament, with some much publicised putting woes. McIlroy was struggling to capitalise on his wonderful tee-to-green play by making some putts, and it was costing him at least a shot and a half a round compared to the likes of Jason Day and Jordan Spieth.
A new putting coach, a new putter, and a new putting grip all made their mark at the Deutsche Bank Championship. After starting par-bogey-triple bogey to open his tournament, McIlroy turned it on. His strokes gained on the green was an amazing +5 gained compared to the rest of the field, and he lead the field in putts per greens in regulation:
Rory McIlroy leads by 2 shots.
Strokes gained: putting ...
This year: -0.135 (130th)
This week: +5.627 (3rd) pic.twitter.com/vofFKvCrtB— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 5, 2016
First 3 holes: +4
Final 69 holes: -19
That's quite the bounce back. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/bEuIznRcrn— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 5, 2016
Drive for show AND putt for dough. A deadly combo.
Rory's ranks this week:
Driving distance: 1st
Putts per GIR: 1st pic.twitter.com/SgWaFIp5Zy— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 5, 2016
That's the sort of form that McIlroy was in when he blew away the field winning the US PGA and US Open by eight shots.
He's back.
