Rory wins BMW PGA
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Rory McIlroy shot a 6-under par round of 66 to rally from seven shots back and capture the BMW PGA Championship for his sixth career European Tour victory.
Few could have predicted at the start of today’s final round that Northern Ireland’s McIlroy would make up seven strokes on Thomas Björn (Denmark), the overnight leader, to storm through to a stunning victory.
The former world No1 produced one of the great rounds in the history of the championship, a 66 that included an eagle and six birdies (five on the inward nine), for a 14 under par total of 274 and victory by one stroke over Shane Lowry (Ireland), and two over Björn (75) and Luke Donald (England), the former champion, who had a round of 70.
Among McIlroy’s birdies, he chipped in at the 10th, got up and down from sand at the 12th and 18th, and rolled in a putt of around eight metres at the 13th. It was a masterclass in all aspects of the game. “I was able to relax on the golf course and to play the way I wanted to,” said McIlroy, who won a first prize of 791,660 Euros. “Everything came together. It seemed that everything fell my way. This win just validates all the hard work that I’ve put in this year.”
McIlroy powered to the biggest final-round comeback of his career ranking third in driving distance for the tournament. He averaged more than 294 yards off the tee with his Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour driver.
McIlroy added a new Nike VR X3X Toe Sweep 59-degree wedge to his bag this week, with a wider sole area toward the toe and a relieved heel to make it easier to hit out of the toughest lies from anywhere around the green. Combined with his Method 006 putter, McIlroy notched six birdies on the day and an eagle on the par-5 fourth.
In the bag
What was in Rory’s winning bag:
Driver: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour 8.5-degree (Kura Kage X TS 70)
Fairways: Nike VRS Covert 3-wood 15-degree, Covert 5-wood 19 degree
Irons: Nike VR Pro Blade (4-9)
Wedges: Nike VR Forged 46-degree, 52-degree, 56 degree; VR X3X 59-degree
Putter: Nike Method 006 Prototype
Ball: Nike RZN Black
Footwear: Nike Lunar Control II
