Rory Wins Deutsche Bank Championship
- Dan Hauser
- 6 Sep, 2016
There’s no question Rory Mcllroy has struggled with his game as of late, especially in the putting department. When asked, he would be the first one to tell you too. He’s switched putters, trading in his Nike for a Scotty Cameron prototype mallet. He’s switched putting coaches, moving on from Dave Stockton and working with Phil Kenyon who also works with Henrik Stenson. Nothing seemed to be working though. He limped home with a T31 finish at the Barclays last week, and after starting the week four over through his opening three holes, it seemed like it was going to be another frustrating week on the greens.
As we have seen so many times in the past with Rory when struggling though, this time around he didn’t look dejected. He didn’t sulk, his head didn’t drop, and he didn’t let his shoulders sag. He kept pushing along and immediately came back with a birdie on the fourth hole. From there, something seemed to change. Mcllroy didn’t drop a single shot the rest of the way during the opening round, managing to come back and record an even par 71. Momentum had seemed to slowly shift in Rory’s direction and he backed it up with rounds of 67, 66, and 65 over the next three days. The final round 65 might have been the most impressive because it resulted in Mcllroy chasing down Paul Casey to get his first PGA Tour win in over a year.
“It’s just incredible, this game, how quickly things can change,” Rory said. “It’s been a great lesson for me this week not to get down on myself, to stay patient. After three holes Friday, there was so much going through my head, and none of those things involved sitting beside a trophy.”
Rory started Monday six shots behind Casey but quickly made his presence known with early birdies on two and four. A string of three straight birdies to finish off the front nine gave him his first lead of the week and he never looked back.
While Casey continued to struggle, Rory kept his foot on the gas just as we have grown accustom to him doing. He drained a 20-foot birdie on the 12th and then hit this nearly perfect shot out of the bunker on 18 to slam the door shut:
Bunker game 💯
The shot that led to Rory’s victory. https://t.co/55PNbK57pK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 6, 2016
While Casey didn’t get the win, his runner up finish moved him up to 10th, guaranteeing him a spot in the Tour Championship for the first time since 2010. For Mcllroy, the win moves him up to fourth in the season long standings, virtually guaranteeing him a spot in the coveted top five that controls its own destiny at the Tour Championship.
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.
