6:21 PM ET
Associated Press
RIDGELAND, S.C. -- Rory McIlroy capped his dependable march backmost to No. 1 successful the satellite connected Sunday with an explosive burst of 3 birdies precocious successful the circular to clasp disconnected Kurt Kitayama and triumph the CJ Cup successful South Carolina.
Tied with Kitayama with 5 holes to spell astatine Congaree, McIlroy ran disconnected 3 consecutive birdies to prehend power and finished with 2 bogeys, hardly capable to ruin the moment. He closed with a 4-under 67 for a 1-shot victory.
McIlroy, who finished astatine 17-under 267, won for the 23rd clip connected the PGA Tour and 31st clip worldwide.
It was his ninth clip reaching No. 1 successful the world, down lone Tiger Woods and Greg Norman (both 11) successful getting to the apical of the ranking the astir times.
This was nary little special, and it showed erstwhile McIlroy's dependable choked ever truthful somewhat with emotion aft helium won.
"I've worked truthful hard implicit the past 12 months to get backmost to this place," McIlroy said. "I consciousness similar I'm enjoying the crippled arsenic overmuch arsenic I ever have. I played with that joyousness and it's decidedly showed implicit these past fewer months.
"It's a large achievement. I'm truly arrogant of myself close now."
This felt similar a agelong clip coming.
He won the CJ Cup for the 2nd consecutive time. The South Korea-based tourney was held successful Las Vegas past year, erstwhile McIlroy was No. 14 successful the world. So began his ascent backmost to No. 1, with victories successful the Canadian Open and the Tour Championship to seizure the FedEx Cup, and with assistance from Scottie Scheffler cooling from his torrid agelong done the Masters.
McIlroy was No. 1 erstwhile play unopen down for 3 months astatine the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and helium mislaid the ranking to Jon Rahm erstwhile the Spanish golfer won the Memorial successful July 2020.
Scheffler finished successful the mediate of the battalion astatine Congaree, meaning McIlroy could person been runner-up and inactive reclaimed the No. 1 ranking. He wanted the trophy, and it was harder enactment than helium imagined.
McIlroy was staked to a 1-shot pb going into the last circular and ne'er trailed, though helium didn't person it casual until helium walked toward the 18th green.
Rahm, coming disconnected a triumph astatine the Spanish Open, tied him connected 3 occasions aboriginal portion playing successful the radical successful beforehand of him. Rahm was inactive successful the premix until his tee changeable connected the agelong par-3 14th caught a plugged prevarication successful the look of the bunker, starring to bogey.
He coiled up with 69 to necktie for fourth.
The existent menace was Kitayama, 3 times a victor portion playing successful Asia and Europe. The 29-year-old Californian overcame an aboriginal 2-shot shortage and was tied for the pb until McIlroy took implicit with a 15-foot birdie connected the 14th.
On the 348-yard 15th, Kitayama drove the greenish to 45 feet and McIlroy was successful a bunker. McIlroy blasted retired to 5 feet and converted the birdie, portion Kitayama ran his putt 6 feet by the cupful and missed it coming backmost to settee for par.
McIlroy efficaciously sealed it with a 20-foot birdie connected the 16th, though determination was a tense infinitesimal astatine the end. With a 2-shot pb connected the last hole, McIlroy gunned his agelong birdie putt immoderate 8 feet by and Kitayama had conscionable extracurricular 20 feet for birdie.
Both missed, and McIlroy had a grin of restitution and relief.
Kitayama played bogey-free and closed with a 67 for his 3rd runner-up since joining the PGA Tour past year, down McIlroy, Xander Schauffele successful Scotland and Rahm successful Mexico. He made $1,134,000.
"That's a pugnacious radical of guys to beat," Kitayama said. "I conscionable person to support improving."
K.H. Lee had a 68 and finished third, with Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood (65) different changeable behind.
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