evidence at the next golf tournament. So many of the players want to offer their hand and the back patting never stops. It has the effect of making the major winner feel that they are still in celebration mode. Still up there on âcloud nineâ.
Even at press conferences before, during and after The Barclays, the media just want to know about the major win â and all the questions about being younger than Tiger and the same age as Nicklaus and Ballesteros. Rory duly finished tied for 24 th place on one under.
One week later on 30 August, he teed off in another of the Fedex Cup events: the Deutsche Bank championship in Boston. He got off to a great start to boot with a -6, 65. This put him just a shot behind co-leaders Tiger Woods, Jeff Overton and Ryan Moore.
It was significant to see the mighty name of Tiger Woods up in lights again and leading a big event. In the previous weeks he had actually leapt over Lee Westwood to be number three in the world and that, together with his 64, showed that he was still a major force.
The next day McIlroy started his second round at the 10 th and he began in the same form as he had finished the day before. He was on fire. At the 12 th he birdied from 18 feet, his second shot finished a foot from the pin for birdie at the 14 th and he sank another five-foot birdie at 15.
Rory then eagled the 18 th and made yet another birdie at the first to be six under for his round after just ten holes and -12 for the tournament. The run came to an end with two bogeys, before two more back-to-back birdies meant he shot another -6, 65.
It was the best opening two rounds that Rory had produced for some time and it gave him a one shot lead over Tiger Woods going into the weekend. At the halfway point this was his reaction:
Iâm very pleased with how I played today, how I played yesterday as well, and in a great position going into the weekend. I got off to a nice start and sort of just kept the momentum going. So yeah, everything seemed to work pretty well out there. I felt like I drove the ball a bit better today and hit more fairways, which gave me some more opportunities to make birdies, and I was putting well enough to take a few of those.
Rory could not keep it going however. He slipped back a little after a 67 moved him to -16 and three shots behind the big mover on moving day â Louis Oosthuizen. The slender framed South African upstaged Rory, Tiger and the entire field with a fabulous -8, 63.
So there was to be no all-star final pairing of Woods and McIlroy for the romantics.
Instead, Rory would have that honour with Oosthuizen but he had three shots to make up. He did get off to a flier, as the quiet and affable South African had a day to forget.
Oosthuizen made far too many errors and resulting bogeys. Although he clawed his way back and made some birdies on the way home to get within a shot of Rory, the damage was done.
He made another bogey on the 17 th as did Rory but after he failed to birdie the final hole, meaning Rory just had to make par, it was all over. Rory had won his third event of the year in America and he was thrilled:
Iâm delighted to have won my fifth PGA title, and third this year. Going out today I knew that I had to put a little bit of pressure on Louis and I think I did that. I was able to do that playing the first holes three under, and we both made a couple of mistakes on the fifth hole, but he made a six to my five, so I was able to take advantage of that a little bit.
The win brought Roryâs earnings on the US Tour alone to well over $6 million dollars for the season, with more events to play. On the European Tour he amassed almost â¬4 million so he was also in line to do what Luke Donald had done and win both Money Lists.
He had stretched his lead significantly at the top of the world rankings but another golfer was making big noises on and off the course. A certain Tiger Woods finished just two shots behind Rory in third
Even at press conferences before, during and after The Barclays, the media just want to know about the major win â and all the questions about being younger than Tiger and the same age as Nicklaus and Ballesteros. Rory duly finished tied for 24 th place on one under.
One week later on 30 August, he teed off in another of the Fedex Cup events: the Deutsche Bank championship in Boston. He got off to a great start to boot with a -6, 65. This put him just a shot behind co-leaders Tiger Woods, Jeff Overton and Ryan Moore.
It was significant to see the mighty name of Tiger Woods up in lights again and leading a big event. In the previous weeks he had actually leapt over Lee Westwood to be number three in the world and that, together with his 64, showed that he was still a major force.
The next day McIlroy started his second round at the 10 th and he began in the same form as he had finished the day before. He was on fire. At the 12 th he birdied from 18 feet, his second shot finished a foot from the pin for birdie at the 14 th and he sank another five-foot birdie at 15.
Rory then eagled the 18 th and made yet another birdie at the first to be six under for his round after just ten holes and -12 for the tournament. The run came to an end with two bogeys, before two more back-to-back birdies meant he shot another -6, 65.
It was the best opening two rounds that Rory had produced for some time and it gave him a one shot lead over Tiger Woods going into the weekend. At the halfway point this was his reaction:
Iâm very pleased with how I played today, how I played yesterday as well, and in a great position going into the weekend. I got off to a nice start and sort of just kept the momentum going. So yeah, everything seemed to work pretty well out there. I felt like I drove the ball a bit better today and hit more fairways, which gave me some more opportunities to make birdies, and I was putting well enough to take a few of those.
Rory could not keep it going however. He slipped back a little after a 67 moved him to -16 and three shots behind the big mover on moving day â Louis Oosthuizen. The slender framed South African upstaged Rory, Tiger and the entire field with a fabulous -8, 63.
So there was to be no all-star final pairing of Woods and McIlroy for the romantics.
Instead, Rory would have that honour with Oosthuizen but he had three shots to make up. He did get off to a flier, as the quiet and affable South African had a day to forget.
Oosthuizen made far too many errors and resulting bogeys. Although he clawed his way back and made some birdies on the way home to get within a shot of Rory, the damage was done.
He made another bogey on the 17 th as did Rory but after he failed to birdie the final hole, meaning Rory just had to make par, it was all over. Rory had won his third event of the year in America and he was thrilled:
Iâm delighted to have won my fifth PGA title, and third this year. Going out today I knew that I had to put a little bit of pressure on Louis and I think I did that. I was able to do that playing the first holes three under, and we both made a couple of mistakes on the fifth hole, but he made a six to my five, so I was able to take advantage of that a little bit.
The win brought Roryâs earnings on the US Tour alone to well over $6 million dollars for the season, with more events to play. On the European Tour he amassed almost â¬4 million so he was also in line to do what Luke Donald had done and win both Money Lists.
He had stretched his lead significantly at the top of the world rankings but another golfer was making big noises on and off the course. A certain Tiger Woods finished just two shots behind Rory in third
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