Take your pick from the Rory McIlroy scenes Sunday during and after the final round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
- There was the brilliant pitch shot he hit from left of the 18th green, landing his ball over a mound and stopping it 6 feet from the hole for his partner/friend Shane Lowry to hole a playoff-forcing putt;
- The bear hug lift and embrace Lowry put on McIlroy when their victory together was complete;
- Or, McIlroy bellowing his karaoke version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” a beer or two deep after doing the various bits of business required after a tournament victory.
What shone through those moments was the joy in McIlroy’s golf again and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the world’s second-ranked player.
After this week off, McIlroy will play the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club where he’s won three times and lost once in a playoff. He will then follow that with the PGA Championship at Valhalla where he won the Wanamaker Trophy a decade ago when major championship victories seemed to come easy to him.
McIlroy had not won a PGA Tour event since the Genesis Scottish Open last July and while he’s played some very good golf in the interim – he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January – he has struggled with inconsistency most of this season.
He’s worked with Butch Harmon on tightening up his wedge play, which could pay off as major championship season has arrived.
“The reason that Shane and I both started to play golf is because we thought it was fun at some stage in our life. I think sort of reinjecting a little bit of that fun back into it in a week like this week, it can always help.” – Rory McIlroy
He wasn’t perfect at New Orleans, but playing alongside Lowry and with the focus being on fun both on and off the course, it looked as if McIlroy’s spark returned.
“The reason that Shane and I both started to play golf is because we thought it was fun at some stage in our life. I think sort of reinjecting a little bit of that fun back into it in a week like this week, it can always help,” McIlroy said Sunday evening.
A partnership that sprung out of a celebratory lunch last fall produced a victory that both players needed.
Lowry was not qualified for the remaining signature events but now he’s set for the rest of the FedEx Cup season. He had fallen to 57th in the world rankings before a pair of top-five finishes in Florida boosted him inside the top 40, but struggles on the greens have taken the edge off of Lowry’s play.
Lowry ranks third on tour in strokes gained approach but that’s been largely wasted because he’s 142nd in strokes gained putting and he’s 180th from inside 10 feet. Making the birdie putt on the 72nd hole looked routine but it wasn’t.
“I’ve gone through a little bit over the last couple months – few tournaments where I’ve struggled on the greens a little bit. I changed my putter this week. It feels really good but I’m not trusting it as well as I would like,” Lowry said.
“I missed a couple of short putts that kind of gets me down a little bit, but Rory is there backing me up this week, and he was a great teammate, and he made me believe in myself. It was good to have him there to do that.”
For all of their technical proficiency, professional golfers still rely on confidence and feeling comfortable in the moment.
“I’ve always felt like I play my best golf when I’m enjoying myself, and (it’s) hard to not enjoy yourself when you’re out there walking the fairways with Shane,” McIlroy said.
The victory is McIlroy’s 25th on the PGA Tour, tying him for 23rd place all-time with Macdonald Smith, Johnny Miller and Tommy Armour. Henry Picard has 26 career wins and, should McIlroy reach 30 victories, he would become only the 17th player to reach that mark.
It’s worth appreciating how good McIlroy has been and for how long. A decade ago, he ascended to No. 1 in the world rankings and 10 years later he’s still ranked second.
Critics will question whether a team title should count, but that’s been a long-standing rule on the PGA Tour. While none of Tiger Woods’ 82 tour wins came in team play, five of Sam Snead’s 82 came with a partner and eight of Ben Hogan’s 64 wins were in two-man events.
There’s no reason to think McIlroy won’t get to 30 and keep going. He will turn 35 on Saturday which gives him a long runway ahead.
He is only the 12th player to win 25 times with four majors, joining Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Walter Hagen, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Gene Sarazen. Pretty good company to keep.
It’s worth appreciating how good McIlroy has been and for how long. A decade ago, he ascended to No. 1 in the world rankings and 10 years later he’s still ranked second.
And there’s more to come.