LAS VEGAS – Rory McIlroy felt as though he had been spinning his wheels for the past five months as he tried to get better on the golf course and instead got nowhere. It took the Ryder Cup for him to realize what he had was always good enough.
And then McIlroy shifted into high gear in Las Vegas.
Starting nine shots behind on the weekend, McIlroy followed a third-round 62 by closing with a 6-under-par 66 for a one-shot victory over Collin Morikawa on Sunday in the CJ Cup at Summit, his 20th career victory on the PGA Tour.
“I know that when I do the things that I do well, this is what I’m capable of,” McIlroy said. “It’s just a matter of me getting back to playing golf and playing golf my way. That starts with being creative and being visual and maybe sort of sifting through the technical thoughts.”
He was creative enough to hit a flop shot over the bunker to a tucked-in hole for an important par save, allowing him to stay tied with a hard-charging Morikawa and move past a fading Rickie Fowler to start the back nine.