After winning the 21st PGA Tour title, Rory McIlroy let the man he passed to, Greg Norman, know it all while the Gulf War continues on slow fire.
A phrase from Rory McIlroy after his victory at the Canadian Open reinforced the incalculable damage that Greg Norman has done to his golf legacy thanks to his involvement with LIV Golf.
McIlroy has openly spoken out in opposition to the controversial Saudi operation backed by Saudi Arabia, which threw a total of $ 500 million to players such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson de Chambeau to play at LIV events. Golf.
The first was played last weekend in London, with South African Charl Schwartzel raising more than $ 5 million to win the 48-player, 54-hole event in front of a small audience, with no broadcast agreement .
McIlroy, meanwhile, shot a final round 62 in Canada to defeat Tony Finau and reigning PGA champion Justin Thomas, defending the title he won in 2019 and bringing his PGA Tour victories to 21.
It’s one more win than Norman’s 20, and as he stood on the green after making one last hole to close out the win, McIlroy made it clear how much that statistic mattered.
“It’s my 21st win, one more than anyone else (Norman), and that gave me a little extra incentive today,” McIlroy told green number 18 after his two-shot victory in Ontario.
He then returned to his post-victory press conference.
“One more than Norman,” he repeated.
“I was alluding to it, I had extra motivation for what’s going on in the pond (in England). The guy who leads this Tour has 20 wins on the PGA Tour and I was tied with him and I wanted to advance one. I made it.
“So it was great for me, just a little bit of pride for that.
“It means a lot. I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to win the PGA Tour. I just have to look at the two guys I played with today.
“I came out on top and had to throw eight under par to get the job done. So the depth of the talent on this tour is really impressive. And facing guys like JT and Tony and coming out on top is something to feel great about. “
The timing of McIlroy’s victory is perfect ahead of this week’s U.S. Open. He was the last person in 2014 to win the week before pulling out a major, which he did not lose.
“He does, it gives you a lot of confidence to know, just to see where your game compares to the best. JT comes out winning his second major in the PGA Championship. I think he’s won 15 times on the tour,” McIlroy said. .
“So facing guys who are not only the best players in the world, but also the best players in the world playing a little close to their best level and coming out on top, can only give you confidence.
“I guess for me, just some of the shots I hit along the stretch are things that will definitely have to build over the next few weeks.”