Rory McIlroy reaches milestone with victory at CJ Cup

Rory McIlroy added different rubric to his distinguished vocation Sunday, and this 1 was other special.

His triumph astatine the CJ Cup astatine The Summit Club is triumph No. 20 connected the PGA Tour, putting him successful elite institution and giving him beingness membership. And he’s conscionable 32.

McIlroy overtook third-round person Rickie Fowler connected the beforehand nine, past surged up to clasp disconnected a situation from Collin Morikawa to unafraid the title. McIlroy had a 66 connected Sunday, taking him to 25-under 263 and 1 amended than the Las Vegas nonmigratory who calls The Summit Club home.

“It’s rather an achievement,” McIlroy said of reaching the 20-win plateau. “I was asked that question astatine the commencement of the week, and it is simply a beauteous large carrot. I didn’t cognize if it was going to beryllium this week, but I knew if I conscionable kept my caput down and kept playing good and doing the close things, yet I’d get there.”

McIlroy began the time 2 shots down Fowler, and the shortage reached 3 erstwhile they reached the par-5 sixth hole. But portion McIlroy was getting up and down for birdie, Fowler made his lone large mistake of the week, hitting his 2nd changeable into the autochthonal area. From there, helium took a punishment drop, past compounded his issues with a three-putt for treble bogey.

“I conscionable had a mates swings that got maine retired of position,” said Fowler, chasing his archetypal triumph successful astir 3 years. “I was truly conscionable trying to deed it up the near portion of the greenish there, conscionable got a interaction near of my line.”

After different birdie connected No. 8, McIlroy would ne'er way Fowler again. That near him to woody with Morikawa, who was 4 groups successful beforehand of him and sizzling.

Morikawa birdied 7 holes connected the beforehand to crook successful 29, past added different astatine 11 to instrumentality the outright lead. But it was thing but pars the remainder of the mode until an eagle astatine 18 to station 62.

“I gave myself chances. I kept hitting bully shots,” Morikawa said. “They weren’t arsenic adjacent arsenic that beforehand nine, but I inactive had a batch of birdie opportunities and near a fewer that conscionable benignant of rolled close by the edge. They were going successful connected the front; they weren’t connected the back.”

McIlroy besides slowed connected the backmost nine, but erstwhile helium drained a 35-footer from the fringe for eagle connected the 14th, helium had control.

“I putted large this week, that was benignant of the bedrock of the game,” helium said. “I did different things well, but I truly putted great, exemplified by the putt connected 14 for eagle that benignant of separated maine from the battalion today. I was capable to conscionable benignant of cruise successful from there.”

And cruise helium did. He played conservatively implicit the last 4 holes, knowing his cushion implicit Morikawa was capable arsenic agelong arsenic helium didn’t marque immoderate mistakes. Accomplishing that, and a beardown intelligence focus, were keys to his week, helium said.

“I consciousness similar I made 1 intelligence mistake today, which was connected the 5th hole,” McIlroy said. “I tried to deed operator disconnected that tee aft making a bogey connected the 4th spread beforehand. Then I conscionable said to myself going up that fairway I request to beryllium much disciplined. So the connection of the time aft that was discipline, and I got myself successful the close framework of caput aft that.”

McIlroy becomes the 4th progressive subordinate with astatine slightest 20 wins, joining Tiger Woods (82), Phil Mickelson (45) and Dustin Johnson (24). He’s besides the sixth subordinate to bash it earlier turning 33, joining a Hall of Fame database comprised of Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Billy Casper.

“If you would person asked maine 10 years agone erstwhile I was starting my travel connected Tour, oregon 12 years ago, I guess, 20 wins seems similar a agelong mode away,” helium said.

Given the authorities of his game, 20 seems arsenic if it volition beryllium successful the rearview reflector soon.

Greg Robertson covers play for the Review-Journal. He tin beryllium reached astatine grobertson@reviewjournal.com.