Defending champion Rory McIlroy birdied his final two holes and shot 8-under-par 62 on Sunday to stave off a number of fellow stars and win the RBC Canadian Open at St George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto. McIlroy’s 19-under 261 was two shots better than Tony Finau and four ahead of Justin Thomas.
McIlroy played in the final threesome of the day with Finau and Thomas, who kept it tight up until the final two holes.
The four-time major champion from Northern Ireland earned his 21st career PGA Tour win. He won the Canadian Open in 2019 at a different site, Hamilton Golf and Country Club, and in the two years since the tournament has been on hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
An outspoken critic of the LIV Golf Invitational Series financed by Saudi money and spearheaded by CEO Greg Norman, McIlroy took time to relish his first PGA Tour victory of the calendar year. In fact, McIlroy surpassed Norman’s career mark of 20 wins on tour.
When the moderator of his press conference introduced him, saying he’d won for the 21st time, McIlroy interjected, “And one more than Norman.”
“I feel like it’s getting tougher and tougher to win on the PGA Tour,” McIlroy said. “Just look at the two guys that I played with today. I went out with a lead and had to shoot 8 under par to get the job done. So the depth of talent on this tour is really, really impressive. And going up against guys like JT and Tony and coming out on top, that’s something to feel really good about. ...
“And then, look, I alluded to it, I had extra motivation of what’s going on across the pond,” he added later. “The guy that’s spear heading that tour has 20 wins on the PGA Tour and I was tied with him and I wanted to get one ahead of him. And I did. So that was really cool for me, just a little sense of pride on that one.”
McIlroy started off hot with a 5-under 29 on the front nine, the first time he’s broken 30 through nine holes in his decorated PGA Tour career. But after getting to 8 under through 12 holes, he stuttered, bogeying two par 3s in a four-hole stretch.
