FedEx Cup: Rory McIlroy takes down Brooks Koepka to win 2019 TOUR Championship
The 2019 FedEx Cup Playoffs have ended, with Rory McIlroy bringing home his second season title, and the massive prize bonus that comes with it.
Turns out, winning $15 million is really hard. Just ask the 29 PGA Tour players who didn’t. Of the 30 who had a chance to win the first place FedEx Cup prize, only four mounted a serious attempt: Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. On the final day of the TOUR Championship, just one, McIlroy, pressed onward to the victory.
“My goal today was to go and win, not the normal tournament, but win by even strokes,” he said immediately after he finished playing.
Not only did McIlroy start the day with intentions of winning, he also wanted to beat Brooks Koepka.
“He got one over on me in Memphis, and I wanted to try to sort of get some revenge today,” McIlroy said about Brooks Koepka at the trophy ceremony. “To play like that alongside Brooks and get the win, win the FedExCup, yeah, It’s awesome.”
McIlroy, though he said he was consulted on the new system, was critical of the staggered start. He likely didn’t want anyone to say that he hadn’t really won the tournament because he hadn’t shot the lowest score. He took care of that problem. With his 5-under par starting point and his 18-under par finish, he would have been 13-under par straight up. No one else approached that figure.
Schauffele, who finished second at 14-under, started the week at 4-under. So, he was 10-under, net. Thomas, who finished third, was 13-under for the tournament and 3-under for the week, net.
Koepka was 7-under to start the week and 13-under to finish it, making him 6-under without the staggered start. At some point, we may have a winner who isn’t the net lowest score, but not this season.
When it came down to it, Rory McIlroy won because he mastered the art of finding fairways at East Lake better than anyone else. Better than Koepka. Better than Schauffele. Far better than Thomas. He hit 71 percent of fairways in the final round and 64 percent for the week.
Before the tournament started several golfers talked about the importance of hitting fairways, but McIlroy just did the best job of those in contention.
“Just didn’t put the ball in play,” Koepka said afterward about his disappointing final round. “If you’re not going to put it in play, you’re going to have a hard time scoring.”
Koepka hit a shockingly low 35 percent of fairways in the final round and just 50 percent for the week. But that wasn’t the only issue. He said he didn’t make enough putts.
“Those three putts I missed kind of right there in a row, 12, 13, 14, kind of took the air out of everything,” he admitted.
Schauffele said he enjoyed the battle, but not his result.
"“I hit it horrible. I scrambled. I hung in there,” he said after play. “My game just wasn’t sharp enough at the right time, and I don’t really have too many complaints. Made some good saves and just fought all day.”"
He was just 35 percent of fairways hit on Sunday and averaged a little over 51 percent for the week.
Justin Thomas had the advantage of starting at 10-under par on Thursday but was not able to convert his advantage to a victory.
"“I’m bummed to not have a little better chance today, but I fought as hard as I could. That’s really all I can ask for,” Thomas said after the last round. He said the staggered start bothered him all week.More from Pro Golf NowGolf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning dealFantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player SelectionsBrutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at ConcessionFantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament"
He also reflected on some errors.
"“Just really had a couple freakish, bizarre, stupid mistakes this week,” he noted. “I made a double on Thursday with a pitching wedge in my hand on a par-3, and then I made a 7 this morning with a 9-iron in the middle of the fairway. I mean, that’s five, six strokes, and could potentially cost me the FedExCup.”"
He finished five back of McIlroy and hit just 50 percent of fairways on Sunday and 55 percent for the week.
He and others predicted in advance the need to be in the short grass off the tee, but none who said it couldn’t deliver as well as the Northern Irishman.
"“The Bermuda grass, you have to hit it in the fairway,” McIlroy said on Wednesday of tournament week. “If you get it in the fairway, you have chances to make birdies, but you can’t control your ball out of the rough here.”"
That proved the difference, especially for Koepka, Schauffele and Thomas.
Before the tournament began, Koepka noted, “If you’re on with your wedges, you can shoot a good score around here. But it needs to be in the fairway because, if you’re in the rough, you’ve got no control over that golf ball.”
The end was a little different than last year when crowds took over the 18th fairway behind Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. As the tournament drew to a conclusion this year, throngs of fans lined the 18th fairway while the last twosome played the final hole. When McIlroy and Koepka reached the putting surface of the 18th green, the gallery came into the fairway and ringed it. (Respectfully!)
The putting surface, just in front of the historic East Lake Tudor-style clubhouse, proved a perfect backdrop for McIlroy to put an exclamation point on his FedEx Cup victory, which he did with a birdie and an emphatic fist pump.
Next. Weather issues could have been avoided at TOUR Championship. dark
It is McIlroy’s second FedEx Cup title, but the way he has been playing, it may not be his last.
“You know, really cool, really cool to put my name on this trophy for a second time,” McIlroy said to media. “Any time you can do something that only Tiger has done, you’re doing something right.”
Rory McIlroy did a lot of things right all year, and that’s what brought him to this historic point. Now, it’s onward to 2020 as the defending FedEx Cup champion.