After a Win at the Players Championship, Could This Be Rory McIlroy’s Year?
After a second win at TPC Sawgrass for the number two golfer in Rory McIlroy, the question goes to the rest of the year and whether this breakthrough could even propel him to surpass Scottie Scheffler in the world rankings. McIlroy finished on Sunday at 12 under par, a score that would be tied for the lead with J.J. Spaun going into a playoff round Monday morning due to inclement weather. Rory would start the playoff with a birdie, getting on the green in two shots before two-putting to finish the opening par five. Rory would continue his consistent play on the island green 17, where he would put his shot 20 feet from the hole before finishing it off with a bogey. McIlroy would nearly win the tournament on this hole, as J.J. Spaun would hit his first shot nine iron into the water before three-putting and earning a triple bogey. McIlroy would finish his win with a bogey on the par four 18 but never really came close to a loss on the final hole. Rory would shoot 67, 68, 73, and 68, becoming one of his more consistent big tournaments in recent years.
Rory moves to number one in the FedEx Cup Rankings after this win, and with the Masters just under 25 days away, the idea this momentum could carry forward is there. The Masters is the one Major that Rory has never won, and winning it would complete his Major sweep, including now two wins at the course considered to be the undisclosed fifth Major. The reality is that nobody is playing at a higher level than McIlroy. Scottie, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele have not shown their best this year, and while the talent in the PGA Tour may be higher than ever, McIlroy has only gotten better over the past year. Rory, in the past couple of Majors, had issues when it came to clutch putting, but after the players, it seems like even those hiccups are gone. Rory has now not just finished in the top 25 in his past 10 starts worldwide but also is now just the fourth player ever to win multiple Players Championships and Majors, joining Scottie, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
Scheffler’s unmatched 2024 campaign started with the Players Championship win, and if any motivation is needed for Rory, this was it. He is playing the most consistent golf in the world, and with Augusta being a course he has played numerous times, it's only a matter of time until he gets his green jacket. With already securing a win in the Players Championship and Pebble Beach, this seems to maybe finally become the breakthrough all golf fans are hoping for. Not only has Rory been around the number two spot in the world rankings for over six years, but it just seems like every time he is about to win, something happens. This one was different, though, as Rory has now won both times he posted this type of score through two rounds at Sawgrass. If Rory can keep this around 10 under par momentum into Augusta, there’s no reason he can’t win, especially if he dials in the putter like he was this weekend. All four Majors are still to be played this year, and Rory should be the favorite after a near wire-to-wire in contention and win in Florida.
