At the end of it all, through the player defections, his major championship flirtations, the acrimonious fracturing of professional golf and a triple-bogey start to the final event of the PGA Tour season, the vision of a sweaty Rory McIlroy holding the FedEx Cup trophy for an unprecedented third time Sunday evening had the look of a rainbow after a storm.
In the same week that McIlroy’s presence as the leader of today’s tour was brought into full focus with the announcement of sweeping changes initiated by McIlroy and Tiger Woods, the 33-year-old used a hot, sticky Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta as a reminder that it’s his talent that separates him.
He didn’t just rally from six strokes behind in the final round. McIlroy chased down then stared down Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, who spent the week with the $18 million FedEx prize on his fingertips.
McIlroy plays golf with a rare brilliance, but he also has played this season with the burden of near misses – he finished in the top 10 of all four major championships without a victory – and the weight of being the face and voice of the tour in its divisive battle with LIV Golf.
The victory did more than give McIlroy overall tour earnings of $28,354,566 this season. It gave him another chance to speak to what he believes.
“I believe in the game of golf. I believe in this tour in particular. I believe in the players on this tour,” McIlroy said during the trophy presentation.
“It's the greatest place in the world to play golf, bar none, and I've played all over the world. This is an incredibly proud moment for me, but it should also be an incredibly proud moment for the PGA Tour.
“They've had some hard times this year, but we're getting through it. That was a spectacle out there today, two of the best players in the world going head-to-head for the biggest prize on the PGA Tour, and I hope everyone at home enjoyed that.”
McIlroy also took a moment to acknowledge Scheffler, the likely PGA Tour player of the year. Under the weighted scoring system used at the Tour Championship, Scheffler started the event with a two-stroke lead over Patrick Cantlay and was six clear of McIlroy, who fell 10 behind with this triple-bogey, bogey start on Thursday.
“Scottie Scheffler is going to be the player of the year, no doubt,” McIlroy said. “It would have been fitting for him in his breakout season to win this. Maybe he deserves it more than I do.”
Scheffler seemed in control, starting the final round six ahead after making four birdies Sunday morning in the weather-delayed finish to the third round. Seven holes into the final round, McIlroy and Scheffler were tied and shared or traded the lead over the closing holes.
A par save for McIlroy at the 16th where Scheffler made a bogey from a greenside bunker proved to be the margin of victory.
“I got a little lucky with Scottie not playing his best golf today, and I took advantage of that with my good play,” said McIlroy, a 22-time winner on the PGA Tour. “But I went up against the best player in the world today and I took him down, and that's got to mean something.”
Scheffler, who opened with rounds of 65-66-66, closed with a 3-over par 73 to share second place with Sungjae Im.
“Tip to the cap to him,” Scheffler said. “He played a great round of golf today and played good enough to win.”
For all that swirls in his world, particularly this year, McIlroy said his time between the ropes in tournaments brings a tranquility that he appreciates. The disappointment of not closing out the Open Championship when he led entering the final round lingered, but not too long.
While others will focus on the money that he won, McIlroy said part of why he plays well in the playoffs is he believes he cares less about the money than any other player.
“There's a lot of cool things that come along with winning the FedEx Cup. The trophy. I have three sterling silver Calamity Jane replicas in my house, which is really cool. To think about here at East Lake and Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur player to ever play the game, the sort of history and traditions of the game of golf. He sort of exemplified all that,” McIlroy said.
“Look, the money is the money. It's great, and we are professional golfers. We play golf for a living. That is a part of it. But I think at this point in my career, the winning and the journey and the emotions and who I do it with mean more than the check.”
Ron Green Jr.