Unlike some tournaments where he digs himself into a hole he has to fight out of — which he certainly did by starting this event with a triple bogey on Thursday — McIlroy was in the conversation from the start at East Lake posting 67s in consecutive rounds to open the game. However, it was the back nine of the third round that ended early on Sunday that made him a real contender as Rory birdied three of his last six holes to card a 63 and claim his place alongside Scheffler in the final pairing as he put the pressure on on the 54-hole leader despite a six-year deficit. “I’ve been in the bottom group here three of the last five years,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t give myself much of a chance to get away today. Six behind, I thought it would be very difficult to make up. [between] My good game, and Scotty’s not-so-great game, was a ball game that I got on the back nine.” McIlroy’s fourth round started with a bogey, but he pulled even with Scheffler after the Texan three bogeyed his score in the opening six holes. With McIlroy converting five birdies in his first 12 holes, the match officially began as the two came around the bend. Another bogey at the 14th pushed McIlroy back behind Scheffler, but Rory responded immediately with a stunning 31-foot birdie putt at the 15th that sent the crowd into a frenzy and put him back in a tie at the top of the leaderboard. It was the par-4 16th where McIlroy came close to canceling. Sitting in a fairway bunker after his second shot, his third flew over the green nearly 30 yards. However, Rory’s subsequent chip hit the flagpole, Scheffler missed a 9-foot par putt and McIlroy saved par to take the solo lead and become the first golfer to battle at the top away from Scheffler this week. McIlroy led by a stroke entering the 18th, McIlroy watched as Scheffler found a bunker that followed, bouncing his own approach from the fairway into the rough. When Scheffler hit the green with his third shot from the bunker, it left McIlroy with the option of playing conservatively to the middle of the green and two shots at the FedEx Cup crown. “I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of that today,” McIlroy initially said after being introduced as champion. “He’s had an unbelievable season. I feel kind of bad … but he’s a terrible competitor. He’s an even better guy. It was an honor and a privilege to fight him today.” Scheffler, a four-time PGA Tour winner this season and the world’s top golfer for most of the year, is tied for second with Sungjae Im. each won $5.75 million, sharing the second- and third-place prizes. McIlroy later referred to the “battle of Georgia” between the two titans of the game as Scheffler defeated McIlroy in the 2022 Masters at Augusta National in April. While bounces went the 26-year-old’s way at the first major of the year (and for much of the year), on Sunday, the golf gods willed the man from Northern Ireland to win, making amends for a season marked by four top finishes -10 in majors, including a heartbreaker (at The Open Championship at St. Andrews) and left McIlroy sour. “It means a lot [to win the Tour Championship],” McIlroy said. “I believe in the game of golf. I strongly believe in this tour. I believe in the players on this tour. It’s the best place in the world to play golf, not a bar, 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 tough times this year, but we’re getting through it. That was a sight out there today – – Two of the best players on the people will compete for the biggest prize on the PGA Tour — and I hope everyone at home enjoyed it.” Having become the PGA Tour’s figurehead, leading the charge against the groundbreaking LIV Golf Series and still able to play at his highest level on the biggest stage, the taste of victory was that much sweeter for McIlroy in Atlanta. In a week that began with McIlroy and Tiger Woods leading off-the-course golf efforts to secure the game’s future, it was McIlroy’s performance inside the ropes that proved yet again that the PGA Tour cannot be recreated. Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the standings at the 2022 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. T2. Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im (-20): The stars aligned for Scheffler to make history at East Lake. Starting the week with a two-stroke lead, building it up to seven and entering the final round with a six-stroke advantage, Scheffler simply let the FedEx Cup slip through his fingers. After playing his last six holes in 4 under to finish his third round on Sunday morning, it felt inevitable this week to continue in the same vein as his spring of four wins. With a win, Scheffler would have secured the richest season in PGA Tour history and just the fifth five-win season in the last decade, joining Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. It would also put a stamp on a breakout campaign. While the $12.25 million difference between the first place award and Scheffler’s T2 amount may sting, Scheffler will take solace in a surprisingly great season. It’s possible to be named PGA Tour Player of the Year and remain No. 1 in the world, but unfortunately, sometimes even the best fall short when the lights are at their brightest. Atlanta’s adopted son, Im, was casually going about his business and trying his best to recover from a major back blunder at nine Sunday. He had gotten to within one stroke of the lead on several occasions, but it was a double bogey on the par-4 14th that finally took his name out of FedEx Cup contention. With just one win to his credit on the season, Im’s consistency finally paid dividends in the form of a shared second-place check. He entered the postseason with back-to-back second-place finishes and rode that momentum to three consecutive top-15 finishes. It’s easy to forget that Im is only 24, and who’s to say a Scheffler-esque season isn’t on the horizon for him as he now hopes to lead the international team to a huge upset at the Presidents Cup in September. 4. Xander Schauffele (-18): The East Lake savant was one of three players to touch the lead during the Tour Championship, but Schauffele soon followed. Without Saturday’s rain delay, we might be talking about a different story, but ultimately, the weekend was his ultimate upset. One of only four players not to break par in the third round, Schauffele was unable to keep up with his competitor, Scheffler, and ultimately the rest of the field. T5. Max Homa, Justin Thomas (-17): Homa, the man who claimed the first tournament of the 2021-22 campaign, ended his season in impressive fashion. Playing his final 56 holes at 18 under, Homa was able to climb from the depths of the leaderboard and into a seven-figure payday. The confidence king should continue that trajectory for next year alone, having added two wins, a top-five finish at the Tour Championship and (more than likely) an appearance for the United States in the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow – – the site of his first PGA Tour win — on his game resume. T7. Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka (-16): This week had all the makings of FedEx Cup titles for Cantlay, as the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year was just an adequate performance away from claiming the year’s top prize . Starting the week in second place at 8 under, the Californian was a mainstay on the front page of the leaderboard despite his battles with the greens. Cantlay was among the leaders in both metrics for ball appearances, but was uncharacteristically ranked outside the top 25 in strokes gained by just 29 players. He was statistically better than last season, but despite that achievement, the 30-year-old’s material haul at the Zurich Classic and BMW Championship is optimistic.
