McIlroy stepped into this quadruped and the thousands of spectators who were asked to remain calm, please, burst into tears immediately, shouting “Rory! Rory!” Rory! Rory! ” for the first time almost on Sunday at St. George’s G&CC. “Well, it was very rough out there,” said a smiling McIlroy when it was all over, sitting next to this glowing silver medal at the Canadian Open, where his name will be engraved for the second time. “I mean, the fans here this week were just incredible. I like it so good and so nice to play in such an atmosphere. Riots, loud, but with respect. It was really, really nice. “ McIlroy is now a perfect 2-for-2 in Canada, having played here twice and won both times. And yes, it would be nice to have an honorary Canadian citizenship if anyone would like to offer it. On Sunday, it won the RBC Canadian Open as consistently as possible, two years behind the COVID-19 tournament cancellation wins. This was McIlroy’s 21st title on the PGA Tour, and he won it with two blows against the American Tony Finau and four against Justin Thomas, who presented the biggest threat of the day in recent years. “It means a lot,” McIlroy said. “I feel it is getting harder and harder to win the PGA Tour. Also, just look at the two kids I played with today. I came out with a lead and I had to shoot 8-down to finish the job. So the depth of talent on this tour is really, really impressive. And facing guys like JT and Tony and coming out on top is something you feel very good about. “I am so happy I got this 21st victory to defend, even though I do not feel like a defense because it has been so long,” he added. These are not the only reasons why this meant so much to McIlroy. Given what is happening in the golf world, with players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson jumping off the ship for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational, McIlroy really wanted that. And especially because LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman only won the Tour 20 times, a fact that McIlroy repeated several times after winning No. 21. “It simply came to our notice then. “I wanted it at the beginning of the day and there were a few different motivations there,” he said, one of which was to overtake Thomas and Finau. “And then, look, I hinted, I had extra motivation with what’s going on across the lake,” McIlroy said. “It simply came to our notice then [LIV] TOUR has 20 wins in the PGA Tour and I was tied with him and I wanted to get one ahead of him. And I did. “So that was really great for me, a little bit of pride in that.” McIlroy was very remarkable on Sunday. Wearing a combination of warm pink at the top and light blue at the bottom – it made the shirt and pants combination work – he really felt like he had the day at the beginning. “Rory!” The chants started from the first hole, when McIlroy drained the first of his 10 birds with a 26-foot kick. When he hit one at No. 6 – his third bird of the day – he put his cane in the air and nodded in the affirmative, all like a clinic, as the crowd roared. There was a pop in McIlroy’s already confident step as the day went on. He put his fist on No. 12 after draining an incredible 39-foot birdie that left many fans with their jaws open. He was -19 then, with a three-year lead. But McIlroy opened the door with his first mistake of the day a hole later, when he missed a short shot and nailed his first boob. He spoke in the hole after that young lady. Thomas, No. 6 in the world, started the second day and recorded six consecutive birds on Sunday. He wrote another at 14, and after McIlroy stumbled on 16 with a punch at the famous Rink Hole, he and Thomas went to No. 17 all tied up. “I let them come back a little bit after I took the lead in three shots with a few close losses,” said McIlroy. But on the 17th, McIlroy returned to ownership of the day. He cut his approach shot at 17 from the short rough and stuck it on both feet for a bird. Thomas stumbles there with his first puff of the day, giving McIlroy a two-year lead at 18. And the Northern Irishman took full advantage, insisting again on a few feet to win. As he walked down the street with pop confidence on his step, McIlroy raised his foot in the air in recognition of the fans he applauded all week. But before McIlroy drained his winning shot, Finau put in one of 42 feet and made the crowd start. “They were definitely ready to do it this week,” Finau told the Canadian crowd. “The fans were crazy.” Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Received strong support this week and climbed to the top of the standings on Sunday, scoring an 8-under-62 with no bombshells to finish sixth. It was by far his best day at St. George’s and an improvement of nine strokes in his first round here Thursday. “Disappointed that I came here a little abruptly, I did not get as much from the game as I could in the first rounds,” Conners told the media afterwards. “But lots of positive mojo at the US Open next week.” The man with the most positive mojo directed at the major, of course, is McIlroy. The last player on the Tour to win a tournament and then go out and win a Major next week? It was McIlroy, in 2014. As for that scene in 18th Green, McIlroy saw his fans escape safety in the past and was just a spectator then, playing alongside Tiger Woods in 2018, when the latter won his first victory in five years. This time, he was not just a spectator. “Whenever that happens and you can enjoy your ride and know you have sewn the tournament, you can take it and really enjoy it and enjoy it,” he said. “It was a nice scene at 18.”
