Rory McIlroy claimed his first victory in Scotland and his second of the year after a stunning finish at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman birdied four of his last eight holes, including the final two, to post a two-under 68 in windy conditions at The Renaissance Club and edge out home favourite Robert MacIntyre by one shot.
McIlroy, who had not won since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in February, reached 15 under for the tournament and secured his first win on the PGA TOUR since THE CJ CUP last fall.
“It was another really good round of golf,” McIlroy said. “Very solid. I feel like I’ve left a few out there over the last couple of days, but at least the last few holes, it was quite tricky conditions.”
“I played well,” he added. “It’s been a good three days and looking forward to obviously being in the final group tomorrow and seeing how my game holds up under that sort of pressure.”
MacIntyre, who was playing several groups ahead of McIlroy, had set the clubhouse target at 14 under after a brilliant six-under 64 that featured seven birdies and one bogey.
The Scotsman, who was looking for his first PGA TOUR title and his second on the DP World Tour, put the pressure on McIlroy with a birdie at the last, but could only watch as the four-time major champion matched him on the 17th and then holed a 10-foot putt on the 18th to seal the deal.
“I’m very proud of myself,” MacIntyre said. “I gave it my all. I didn’t leave anything out there. I hit every shot as good as I could hit it. Rory just made two great birdies down the last two holes.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished four strokes behind McIlroy in a tie for third with Byeong Hun An and David Lingmerth, while Tom Kim, Tommy Fleetwood and Brian Harman shared sixth place at 10 under.
The Genesis Scottish Open was co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and the DP World Tour, giving McIlroy an opportunity to gain points on both sides of the pond.
He is now leading the Race to Dubai after his win in Dubai and his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open last month, and he is seventh in the FedExCup standings with nine top-10 finishes this season.
McIlroy will now chase his fifth major title and his second Open Championship next week at Royal Liverpool, where he won by two shots in 2014.
