Despite the es in whipping wind on Sunday, Rory McIlroybirdied the last two holes for a 2-under 68 to win the Genesis Scottish Open. He walked out with his first Scottish victory and boosted confidence for the final major of the year.
McIlroy was 1 shot behind Robert MacIntyrewhen he played the slope to near perfection on the par-3 17th for a 4-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead. He then sent what he referred to as his best shot of the year — a 2-iron into the wind to 10 feet for a final birdie.
“The 4-iron was only getting me to the front edge,” McIlroy said. He needed to hit a 2-iron with a little cut and a little height to let the wind take off some of the distance, and “it came off absolutely perfectly.”
“It’s probably the best shot I’ve hit all year,” McIlroy said. “When you hit a shot like that, I feel like I deserved to hole the putt to finish it off like that.”
It was game over for MacIntyre, who was trying to win his national open, and he delivered a class shot of his own. MacIntyre hammered a 3-wood from the rough on the 18th hole at The Renaissance Club to 4 feet, pumping both fists when it dropped for a 64.
The relentless rough wind off the fourth and fifth rounds seemed to seek out the longest time that it would give MacIntyre, 26, the signature victory of his young career. Instead, it was McIlroy, who played the tough back nine in 31 and capped it off with two clutch birdies for his first win since the Dubai Desert Classic.
The victory also serve as a booster for McIlroy who heads south to Royal Liverpool for the Open Championship, where he tries to end his nine-year drought in the majors.
“That was such a tough day — so tough,” said McIlroy who is now past Jon Rahm as No. 2 in the world. “To play that back nine in 4-under par to win the tournament, I’m really proud of how I stuck in there.”
“I hit some amazing shots down the stretch. It feels incredible. It’s been a long six months, I feel, since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tons of chances, and hopefully, this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week.”
The No. 1 player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, closed with a 70 and tied for third with Byeong Hun An (70) and David Lingmerth (68). Scheffler has finished among the top five in his past seven tournaments, two of them majors.
The Scottish crowd chanted MacIntyre’s name all week at The Renaissance Club and went wild when he delivered the 3-wood and birdie putt to the 18th, one of the toughest closing holes on tour.
“I’ll never forget it. I had to take a minute coming off 18,” an emotional MacIntyre said. “If not The Open, the Scottish Open will be up there with the event I want to play for the rest of my life. It’s one I’ve dreamed of winning since I watched at home, and I thought today coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, this might be the one. But it’s not to be just now.”
“Rory McIlroy’s potentially the best in the world, and he showed why today”, he admitted after the European tour and the PGA Tour co-sanctioned tournament.
