McIlroy, who played with Thomas and Phineas in the last trio, came out of the flames. He made five birds in the front and shot 29 from that side before making a bird in his first three in the nine back to fully occupy the tournament. Although he started to fade a bit, he stuck his last two approaches – one at 2 feet and the other at 4 feet – and did both for 62. It was representative of a day when McIlroy had the wedges spin. He made seven approaches (all over 100 yards) in 5 feet and missed hits making a day in which he shot 62. Think about it – he was worse than the pitch average with his potter and put 62 on the card! Somehow, the interview after the round from his 21st victory in the PGA Tour was even better than the victory itself. The Canada final was a resounding response to this week’s LIV Golf debut in London, which gained momentum and distributed $ 25 million at its 48-player stadium on Saturday after the first of eight 54-hole events. LIV Golf is a rival to the PGA Tour and has many people interested. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman boasted on Saturday: “We are not going anywhere.” McIlroy, who has honestly stated that he will not go to LIV Golf and is worried about how he will be funded (essentially from the Saudi government’s financial arm), took a look at Norman on Sunday after his victory. “It’s unbelievable,” McIlroy told CBS Sports. “This is a day I will remember for a long, long time.” He also noted that he now has 21 PGA Tour wins, which is “one more than anyone else”. Norman, it should be noted, has 20 PGA Tour wins. Add it all and it’s one of the most rewarding weeks in the recent history of the PGA Tour (and we have not even talked about the fact that there is a major league week starting on Monday!). No one knows how the next few years will go or who will win the race for the regular season lead between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. These organizations will be involved in this battle for a long time. However, it has been clarified how this week went. McIlroy rediscovered himself as the soul of professional golf just one day after LIV Golf proved to have no. Rating: A + Here are the rest of our points for the Canadian Open. 2. Tony Finau (-17): The worst score in the final group on Sunday was 64. The worst score. Phineau and Thomas both shot this number at McIlroy’s 62, and Phineau struck a monster at the latter to do so. It’s a nice finish for him and arguably his best appearance of the year leading up to an important week. Finau earns 4.6 strokes a day, which is usually enough to win a regular PGA Tour event. Unfortunately for him, McIlroy won over five. Grade A. 3. Justin Thomas (-15): It was almost the same for JT as it was for Finau. The PGA Championship winner won more than four strokes per round per week and finished five shots ahead of the T7 and felt like he never really had a chance on Sunday. However, he will go to The Country Club next week in search of his second consecutive study and I’m not sure his confidence has ever been higher. One reason why: He won positive strokes by participating in five of the last six tournaments. Grade A. T4. Justin Rose (-14): It seems weird to be disappointed with 60, but Rose did something no one has done in the last 30 years. He hit his approach hard and made a splash in the last hole, when the parity would be good enough to shoot 59. “I’m completely disappointed,” Rose said. “Because you know what is at stake, for sure. You’re really playing the last hole – I never pulled before 59 – so that would be a great footnote a week. I do not know how much control I had or not, but … we were right between “Two clubs and I got the wrong way in a decision and I paid the price for it. These are the things that happen and it’s amazing how these situations are presented properly. It was difficult, but overall there is a lot to get out of this week.” Grade A. T18. Scottie Scheffler (-7): The Masters champion had a bad day (he shot 1 over on Saturday and went out hard on the last day). Like JT, there are still positives you need to remove. He finished in the top 15 from jersey to green and driving distance, both of which will be huge next week as he struggles for his second major category of both the season and his career. He has been quietly excellent at the US Opens recently, and if you think his game in his last two tournaments (Charles Schwab Challenge and this Canadian Open) is a good indicator, then he should be among the favorites at Brookline. Degree: B
