Rory McIlroy got his first win of 2023 at the Genesis Scottish Open, with back-to-back birdies in the final moments that gave him the one-stroke lead, finishing at 15-under.
It's been almost a decade since Rory McIlroy has won a golf major, despite coming ever so close at last year's Masters tournament, where he placed second. Among the last two majors he won include The Open Championship in 2014. His victory at the Genesis Scottish Open should give him the necessary confidence boost heading to Royal Liverpool next week.
McIlroy's first win in Scotland also adds to his success on the British Isles, becoming the first player to win The Open (2014), Irish Open (2016) in addition to the Scottish Open (2023), which is also his first title in Scotland.
"That's really cool, especially a player coming from this part of the world where those three tournaments mean a lot to us," McIlroy said to CBS Sports' Amanda Renner, according to SB Nation. "It's another national open. I've sort of been big on national opens over the years, and I'm racking up a few of them. So that's a pretty accolade to have.
"The national titles are a pretty big deals, especially when you look at the trophy and see the list of winners that have gotten their name on them," McIlroy said. "So it's nice to add my name to this one now."
The victory, however, came at the expense of Scotland's own, Robert MacIntyre, who eagled the 10th hole, further thrilling the partisan crowd with successive birdies on the 14th and 15th to surge into leading position. But a devastating bogey on the 16th gave McIlroy the opening he needed, and he answered with a birdie on the 14th.
Three holes later, McIlroy kicked it up in the last two holes, hitting birdies on the 17th and 18th in a dramatic way to definitively snatch the lead out from under MacIntyre.
"It feels absolutely amazing," said McIlroy, about being on the winning side again, according to CBS. "I've had a few close calls recently so to get over the line and get this bit of confidence going into next week and the rest of the season is huge."
McIlroy's exciting run on the back nine is an indicator of the kind of thrilling golf that he's capable of. He will certainly be one of the contenders to watch at the British Open in just a few days. He will be entering the next major with serious momentum on his side.
The Open Championship takes place at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club beginning July 20.
