Rory McIlroy returns to world number one spot with victory in the CJ Cup

Rory McIlroy again showcased the X-Factor in a masterful performance, retaining his CJ Cup title – for his 23rd career win on the PGA Tour – with a finely-crafted closing round of 67 for a total of 17-under-par 267 at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina, that earned him a pay cheque of almost €2 million but also had the desired effect of moving him back to the top of the official world rankings.

In claiming his third win of the year, to go with his Canadian Open and the Tour Championship, McIlroy – starting the new season as he finished the old in his first event of the wraparound 2022/’23 calendar – leapfrogged Scottie Scheffler to become the world number one for the ninth time in his career and for the first time since July 2020.

The body language on the homeward run showed what it meant to McIlroy, as birdie putts – highlighted by a hat-trick from the 14th – brought clenched fists which pumped the air to acknowledge each time the ball successfully dropped to the bottom of the tin cup.

McIlroy, who started with a one-shot lead, did what he had to do over the opening stretch in mastering the two Par 5s, birdieing both the second and fourth holes to hit the ground running. Then, the Northern Irishman showed his powers of recovery, playing a recovery from the penalty area on the Par 3 fifth hole and sinking a six-footer to save par.

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Another birdie on the sixth, where he hit his approach to four feet, maintained the forward momentum only for a three-putt bogey on the eighth to be his only blip in an outward run of 34 strokes.

With Kurt Kitayama his main challenger on the homeward run, McIlroy recovered the outright lead with a brilliant birdie two on the Par 3 14th where he hit his tee-shot to 13 feet. Then, on the drivable Par 4 15th, McIlroy’s tee shot found a greenside bunker and Kitayama’s drive found the green. However, McIlroy hit his sand shot to four feet and sank the birdie while Kitayama three-putted from 50 feet and walked off with a par and two adrift.

Pretty soon, McIlroy would widen that gap. On the 16th, after slightly pulling his tee shot into the first cut, he played a lovely approach – keeping the ball low under overhanging tree branches – to 20 feet and rolled in the birdie putt to stretch his lead to three strokes over Kitayama.

Three strokes clear with two holes remaining, McIlroy’s birdie streak came to an end on the 17th where an aggressive tee-shot down the right caught a deep fairway bunker and his recovery missed the green right as the ball finished in a sandy, native area from where he pitched to 16 feet but failed to make the putt for only his second bogey of the round to reduce the margin to two.

On the closing hole, a drive down the left bounced kindly and his approach from 153 yards found the front of the green. McIlroy suffered more tension than required when he knocked his first putt eight feet by, but when Kitayama missed a 25 foot birdie putt, McIlroy two-putted for bogey to seal the deal with a one-shot winning margin over the American. Number one, again!

“The birdie on 14 was key, it feels great to go out there, shoot a great score and play really well and get the win . . . . it means a lot [to be world number one], I have worked so hard to get back to this place. it feels awesome. It’s a big achievement and I am really proud of myself,” said McIlroy.

Both Shane Lowry and Séamus Power endured disappointing weekends. Lowry closed with a 72 for 278 (tied-23rd) while Power had back-to-back 74s over the final two rounds to finish on 284 (tied-49th).