Rory McIlroy survived a grueling four-hole playoff Sunday against Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell to win the Tour Championship and improbably hoist the FedEx Cup for the first time in his career.
When the FedEx Cup playoffs began five weeks ago, few gave McIlroy, who wasn't even inside the top 30 at the start of the postseason, a chance. But the Northern Irishman won two FedEx Cup playoff events, including a dramatic finish Sunday at East Lake capped with a 12-foot birdie putt on the final playoff hole to beat Moore.
"At the start of the day all I wanted to do was come out and win," McIlroy said on Golf Channel after the round. "I played really well this week and I feel like my game is coming together at the right time. I played alongside Ryan all day today, and he should be proud of himself."
McIlroy fought his way back into contention with a final round 6-under 64 — tying Moore and Paul Casey for the best round of the week — to get to 12 under for the tournament and wait as Chappell finished the 72nd hole with a par, thus forcing in a three-man playoff.
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Fireworks first started going off when McIlroy holed out for eagle on the par-4 16th hole in regulation. The shot reverberated throughout the course, letting everyone know McIlroy had made his move.
Rory McIlroy! One back with two holes to go.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 25, 2016
The @playofffinale just got really interesting. #QuickHits https://t.co/iXDwRuJSxq
McIlroy then made an impressive birdie on the par-5 18th hole to earn a spot in the playoff. He hit a screeching 3-wood over the lake and under the trees guarding his ball, which rolled into the right greenside bunker. He picked the ball out cleanly and stopped it on a dime a couple of feet from the hole.
Chappell had a chance to birdie 18 to win outright, but after dropping a shot on 17, he looked nervous and settled for a par.
The first playoff hole was McIlroy's to lose, and he did, when he missed a 6-foot eagle putt set up by a fabulous iron shot into the tough 18th green. Moore made birdie to continue on, but Chappell again settled for par, ending his run.
McIlroy and Moore halved two more times, once on the 18th and then on the par-3 15th, before they made their way to the 16th — the hole McIlroy had earlier holed out for eagle on. Moore went just over the green on his second shot, and his chip left a lot to be desired, but he drained a 15-footer for par while McIlroy read his birdie putt.
With the crowd waiting anxiously for him to putt, McIlroy reared his putter and sunk his birdie to a decibel-shattering roar from the crowd, forgetting they were just jeering the soon-to-be Ryder Cup competitor a couple of holes earlier.
McIlroy waved to the crowd in semi-shock as he tried to comprehend how he had just won the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus that comes with it.
Hear him roar!
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 25, 2016
Rory McIlroy wins the @playofffinale and #FedexCup https://t.co/FrGhAt07sz
Of course, apart from Moore, McIlroy upended another with his win.
Dustin Johnson, who entered the final round with a share of the lead and a virtual lock to win the FedEx Cup, shot a disastrous 3-over 73 — the worst score of the day — which forced him to watch and hope McIlroy didn't win.
Johnson ultimately finished tied for sixth at 5 under, and second in the FedEx Cup standings after McIlroy's dramatic conclusion. Though the sting of lost millions and a horrible final round in what was really a terrific all-around season (three wins, 15 top 10s), Johnson will likely still win Player of the Year. But first, he needs to clear his head and get ready for next week's Ryder Cup.
The final U.S. Ryder Cup member will be revealed at halftime of the Sunday night football game between the Cowboys and Bears. Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and Bubba Watson were the favorites entering the week, but Moore may have just played his way into a spot.
European captain Darren Clarke may wish he had a mulligan for one of his captain's picks, considering Casey just finished fourth, capping an impressive run of two runners-up finishes and a fourth. He would certainly make for a useful player next week at Hazeltine.
McIlroy looked lost a couple weeks ago, missing short putts and shooting high scores early in tournaments, but he has fixed his putting stroke and once again looks like the best player in the world.
With Jason Day nursing a back injury, McIlroy may find himself there soon.