“IT’S AMAZING IN this game how things can change so quickly,” Rory McIlroy said, trying to explain how a nightmare start turned into his first PGA Tour win in 16 months.
McIlroy rattled in seven birdies in a superb 65 on Monday as he finished two shots clear of Paul Casey and won the Deutsche Bank Championship.
The $1.53 million (€1.37m) win seemed unthinkable after a horror start saw him drop four shots in his first three holes of the tournament at TPC Boston.
“There were a lot of things going through my mind (on Friday),” he admitted, “and one of them was not winning this tournament.
“So 69 holes later – I played some great golf and holed some great putts. I’m just really proud of myself, how I hung in there on the first day and then got some momentum on Saturday. Then I just went with it.
“It’s nice to get that first win in the States this year and hopefully I can take this momentum into the next couple of weeks and ultimately the Ryder Cup.”
The world number five pinpointed “a very simple fix” made on the putting green on Saturday as key to the turnaround.
“I just sort of placed my right hand just a little bit more on top of the grip instead of to the side, helping keep the face square through impact and starting the ball online, and it’s helped.”
– Additional reporting by AFP
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