Rory McIlroy makes first trip to Canadian Open a memorable one with historic win

Rory McIlroy flirts with 59 and runs away with RBC Canadian Open title after final round 61 and a seven-shot victory

Sitting in the media center after the RBC Canadian Open with the trophy beside him, Rory McIlroy started rattling off the impressive list of names that have won this tournament before. Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Sam Snead. And now, he can add his name to that trophy.

McIlroy put in an impressive performance Sunday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, shooting a nine-under round of 61 to win the Canadian Open by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson. The win is McIlroy’s 16th in his PGA Tour career, and fourth by such a large margin.

He came into the final round in a three-way tie for the lead with Simpson and Matt Kuchar, but McIlroy made it known early he came ready to play. He bombed his drive on the opening hole 353 yards down the center of the fairway, leaving himself just 42 yards to the hole. He nearly holed the chip shot for an eagle and tapped in for an easy birdie. McIlroy added four more birdies on the front-nine and was five-under making the turn, with a three-shot lead over Kuchar.

Beginning at the 11th, McIlroy went on a streak of four straight birdies, finishing off the run by holing a 30-foot putt from the back of the green on the 14th. Now nine-under on the round and with a commanding lead, the only question remaining wasn’t whether he would win but how low would he go. McIlroy needed to play his final four holes in two-under to shoot 59.

He had his first misstep at the par-three 16th, however, missing the green and failing to get up-and-down to suffer his first bogey since the second round. He more than made up for that mistake on the next hole. McIlroy hit his drive on the par-five 17th 341 yards down the left side of the fairway. His approach from 197 yards settled two feet from the pin, leaving him a short putt for eagle to get to 10-under.

Needing a birdie on the 18th for 59, McIlroy hit his approach into a greenside bunker and made another bogey, settling for 61. That was still the lowest final round ever shot by a Canadian Open champion in the event’s 115-year history, and the lowest by any player in the field on Sunday by three shots.

McIlroy finished at 22-under for the week, setting a new tournament scoring record with a total of 258. His winning margin of seven shots is the largest at this event since 1952. He led the field this week in strokes gained: off the tee, strokes gained: tee to green and driving distance. He’s also only the sixth player to win the Canadian Open, U.S. Open and Open Championship, joining the likes of Woods, Palmer, Trevino, Walter Hagen and Tommy Armour.

For all the history he made this week, it’s no wonder that McIlroy puts this win high up on his list of career accomplishments. “Pretty nice little club to be a part of, I guess,” he said in his post-victory press conference. “It’s up there. I’ve been playing well basically all year. I’ve been giving myself loads of chances to win. The criticism is that I haven’t won enough, but hopefully today, not just winning but the way I won, that gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

McIlroy was making his first career appearance at the Canadian Open, adding the tournament to his schedule as preparation for the U.S. Open next week. All week long the Canadian fans showed their gratitude, cheering him on with chants of “Let’s Go Rory.” The loudest cheers came on the 18th green after he sealed the win and put on a Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors jersey. McIlroy soaked up the atmosphere in Hamilton and says this was one of the best crowds he’s seen.

“I’ve been very fortunate to get a great reception all week,” he said. “I think one of the cool things as well…you know, people are rowdy, and they’re shouting, and they’re chanting. But they know as soon as you go in to hit your golf shot it’s deadly silent. They get it, and some events on the PGA Tour they don’t get it. I think that was what I really appreciated this week. They were rowdy, they were loud, but they still respected the traditions of the game.”

When asked whether he’s content with his perfect 1-0 record in this event, McIlroy emphatically said he’ll be back next year when the event moves to St. George’s in Toronto. After his triumphant debut this week, he’ll have a lot to live up to.