For decades people have been going to Las Vegas in search of their magic moment.
A roll of the dice. A pair of aces. A five-team parlay.
It’s a place built as much on expectations as on losers’ money.
Last week, Las Vegas provided Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler just what they needed.
McIlroy needed to win because of who he is and the nagging sense that he’s underachieved for the last little while. He’s graded on a harsh curve because of what he’s done and he understands that, even if he’s frustrated by it at times.
McIlroy arrived in the desert ranked 14th in the world, rare enough air, but not for a guy who was ranked No. 1 in the world in the summer of 2020.
For Fowler, Sunday’s result at the CJ Cup @ Summit may be the most meaningful T3 in his career given the walk in the wilderness he has found himself on for the past couple of seasons. Outwardly at least, Fowler has remained upbeat and has talked in encouraging terms about his journey, but at some point he needed to turn words into scores.
Fowler did it at the Summit Club, where the view of the Vegas strip in the distance served as a metaphor for how close he may now be to regaining his form.
This may be the heart of football season and the early days of a PGA Tour wraparound season that won’t feel fully engaged until early 2022, but if the CJ Cup was the last loaded field of the year, it delivered a big-bang finish with enough star power to stand up to the neon-lit standards of its surroundings.
The consistently brilliant Collin Morikawa shot 62 on Sunday to force the issue. Abraham Ancer, an emerging star, contended. Adam Scott looked like Adam Scott again and Sam Burns was right there again.
It was McIlroy and Fowler, though, who were the headliners and that’s what they are built to be. They do more than play golf. They bring their own style, flash and substance and the tour is enriched by their success.
As much as anyone since Tiger Woods, McIlroy has the gift of making the game look easy at times and it has been his blessing and his curse. It has earned him 20 PGA Tour victories and four major championships before his 33rd birthday but there are times when it seems he could have done more.
Then you hear that only Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson won 20 times before their 33rd birthday and it’s another reminder that we’re watching someone special.
With 20 wins, McIlroy will have the luxury of a lifetime exemption on the PGA Tour once he’s played 15 seasons, something he will have done when he’s 35. For perspective, Phil Mickelson was 33 when he won his first major championship so McIlroy may just be reaching noontime in his career.
Less than a month ago, McIlroy was in tears at the Ryder Cup, gutted by his own performance at Whistling Straits. His pride was hurt and he looked like a shadow of the world beater he can be.
Part of McIlroy’s appeal is his openness, his willingness to share a part of his heart and soul with the people who watch him. His tearful Ryder Cup remarks were another window into that.
From that lost week and the weeks leading into it, McIlroy emerged with a clearer mind and a heightened sense of himself as a golfer.
“I feel like the last couple of weeks I’ve realized just being me is good enough,†McIlroy said. “Maybe the last couple months, not trying to be someone else but trying to add something to my game or take something away.
“It’s just a matter of me getting back to playing golf my way. That starts with being creative and being visual and maybe sifting through the technical thoughts and not be as technical.â€
Fowler has been living his own version of that. Swing changes were slow to settle in, his confidence was shaken and it was jarring to see him miss the FedEx Cup playoffs last season.
The world golf rankings don’t measure Q ratings, just performance, and Fowler was ranked No. 128 when he teed off Thursday. He had one top 10 finish in 21 months and the narrative centered on whether Fowler could orchestrate a resurgence similar to the one Jordan Spieth produced this year.
He started Sunday’s final round with a two-stroke lead but an unplayable lie and two three-putts cost him a chance to win. Still, Fowler left the Nevada desert with validation that he’s on the right path.
“Everyone's gone through ups and downs in golf. When you're in those low points, there's times when you wonder like am I ever going to be back in that position,†Fowler said. “Obviously you believe that you can, but there's those thoughts. … Golf is obviously one of the most humbling sports there is and you can never take it for granted.
“So being in those positions, you know where you want to be, you know you can be there, you’ve been there before, but it seems like a long uphill battle. It’s definitely been humbling, we’ve been patient, but it’s nice to see some stuff start paying off.â€
No better place for a big payoff than Las Vegas.
Top: Rory McIlroy
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