Rory McIlroy Wins 2021 CJ Cup

Rory McIlroy wins the 2021 CJ Cup; his 20th PGA Tour win (image: Getty Images)

 

 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Things were heating up this weekend in the desert at The Summit Club, particularly for one Irishman.

Rory McIlroy has won the 2021 CJ Cup with a final score of 25-under par and a one shot lead over Collin Morikawa. This is McIlroy's 20th win on the PGA Tour and second this year after the Wells Fargo Championship in May. 

 

The Northern Ireland native is in his 14th year on tour; his win this week ensures he will receive lifetime membership on the PGA Tour, which will begin at the end of his 15th season.

A WEEKEND OF CHANGING STORYLINES

Heading into the weekend of the 2021 CJ Cup, the storylines were completely different.

As we wrote about in our Weekend Update article, Keith Mitchell held a dominant lead over the rest of the field and showed no signs of letting up. But this all changed on Saturday, when Mitchell carded a 1-over 73, on a day that saw scores as low as 62, shot by none other than McIlroy, and a 63 shot by Rickie Fowler.

McIlroy and Folwer were the main headlines heading into the final round, each with their own devoted fanbases and story; fan favorites of the PGA Tour and some of the nicest players on it.

 

Fowler, who entered the tournament on one of five available sponsor's exemptions, was looking for a resurgence in his career and a return to the elite level of golf he was known for. McIlroy, who was performing well this year, was struggling with inconsistencies in his game as of late. 

 

It was McIlroy who would make the most out of their final round however. He shot a 66 that included four birdies on the front nine and a birdie and eagle of the back nine. His eagle came on the par 5 14th hole, where he sank an incredible 34-foot putt after driving the green.

Fowler, on the other hand, was in the mix until a double bogey on the 6th hole. Another bogey on the 10th hole negated the three prior birdies he carded. Folwer would finish his round with a score of 71. Fowler's efforts did not go unrewarded. His T3 finish launched him from 128th to 82nd in the World Golf Rankings and is further confirmation that his game is in a good place. It will be exciting to watch Fowler this year and his ensuing comeback.

In the group ahead of McIlroy and Fowler, Morikawa was on fire, carding a 29 on his front nine. An eagle on the par 5 18th hole, concluded his 10-under round of 62, the low round of the day, and put the pressure on McIlroy and Fowler.

Keith Mitchell was not completely out of the mix. He made a back nine resurgence after four birdies to rally back to a T3 finish.

HOW DID OUR PICKS FINISH?

 

1) Dustin Johnson: T45 at 14-under

2) Marc Leishman: T38 at 15-under

3) Justin Thomas: T18 at 18-under

Not bad finishes at all. The top of the leaderboard was crammed coming down the stretch, with 13 players at or lower than 20-under.

***

That concludes our coverage of the 2021 CJ Cup hosted by The Summit Club. Next week, we stay with the PGA Tour as it travels to Narashino, Japan for the 2021 Zozo Championship. This is another invitational event and again will boast an elite field. 

 

 

Stay tuned for our picks later this week,

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Keith Mitchell Leads 2021 CJ Cup Heading Into Weekend

Keith Mitchell holds an impressive five shot lead at 18-under at the 2021 CJ CUP
 

 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - The weekday rounds of the 2021 CJ Cup hosted by The Summit Club have concluded. American Keith Mitchell leads the tournament with an impressive score of 18-under and a five shot lead over Seonghyeon Kim, Jordan Spieth, Harry Higgs and Adam Scott.

Since this is an invitational event with a smaller field, there is no cut this week.

 

MITCHEL ON FIRE AT THE SUMMIT CLUB

Keith Mitchell is having himself a week so far in Las Vegas.

 

He started the tournament on Thursday by shooting 62 in a round that included ten birdies and a five-hole birdie streak on the front nine. 

 

A 64 on Friday saw Mitchell take the lead early into his round and soon afterwards a runaway was looking imminent.

All parts of Mitchell's game were firing on all cylinders, from making long putts, to excellent wedge shots when he found trouble, to impressive approach shots; he was locked in.

 

Mitchell even received praise from Rory McIlroy, who has been impressed with his quality of golf for quite some time now. 

 

 

HOW ARE OUR PICKS DOING?

1) Dustin Johnson: T55 at 4-under

2) Marc Leishman: T49 at 5-under

3) Justin Thomas: T28 at 8-under

Not too great, considering the field size. Johnson nearly carded an albatross during his second round on the par 5 3rd hole, which measures a staggering 606 yards. Johnson nearly holed out from the fairway from 283 yards, his ball landing on the green, then hitting the flagstick before coming to rest, inches away from the hole. 

 

The shot of the day however belongs to Abraham Ancer, who actually holed out for albatross on the par 5 14th hole, from a distance on 250 yards.

***

It may be looking like a runaway for Keith Mitchell. Will someone be able to catch him this weekend? Will Mitchell be able to hold on? 

Stay tuned for our summary article to see who has won,

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Tony Finau Ends Five Year Drought With Victory At The Northern Trust

Tony Finau wins the 2021 The Northern Trust, ending a five-year drought (image: Getty Images)
 

 

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - It took numerous delays, postponements of tee times and a playoff, but the 2021 The Northern Trust has finally concluded with a most deserving winner: Tony Finau.

Finau needed to rally against Cameron Smith in a one-hole playoff first, but not before a spectacular final round performance. He carded a back nine score of 30 today that included a birdie, eagle, birdie stretch from holes 12-14, in addition to another birdie on the 16th hole; good enough for the low round of the day.

This is Finau's second PGA Tour win and first win since 2016, and in 189 starts. Coincidentally, it is also his first win on US soil, as his last win came at the Puerto Rico Open. In addition to a $1.7 million payout, Finau also receives 2,000 FedEx Cup points, enough for a boost from 23rd to 1st in the FedEx Cup Rankings.

 

The win comes with much relief for Finau. Since his inaugural win back in 2016, he finished second in eight tournaments and had 39 top-10 finishes. These numbers are remarkable and highlight just how good of a player Finau is. Many in the past have often criticized him for his lack of wins, but in a true display of his character, he never bought into their criticism.

 

 

YET ANOTHER PLAYOFF ENDING

Again, it took a playoff to determine the winner this week. Both Tony Finau and Cameron Smith finished their final rounds at 20-under, but it was Jon Rahm who was on pace for the win.

 

Unfortunately, Rahm found trouble on both the 15th hole and 18th hole, carding bogeys for both and effectively ending his chances to win. It is interesting to note that from the TV coverage, it appeared that something was bothering Rahm on the 15th tee box, having backed off from the shot a few times. He would go on to land that tee shot in a fairway bunker and things were downhill from then on.

 

Cameron Smith started the day tied for the lead with Rahm, but things were looking grim after a double-bogey on the par 4 5th hole. Despite this, he rallied back and carded four birdies on his back nine. He faced a long putt on the 18th hole for the outright win, but could not sink it.

Back to the 18th tee box Finau and Smith went. However this week, things were less dramatic. Smith hit his tee shot far out of bounds while Finau found the fairway, sealing the deal for Finau, who ended up making a par for the win.

WORST AVOIDED, BUT HENRI LEAVES ITS MARK

Although forecasts of Hurricane Henri's path initially predicted a worse outcome for Liberty National Golf Club, the course was spared the worst, only receiving heavy rainfall and winds for a period of time. 

 

Still, this was enough for tour officials to postpone Sunday's final round to Monday morning, then further tee time postponements to midday on Monday, as rainfall and flash flood warnings were still in effect. Players were put into threesomes and split tees to make the final round as efficient as possible. The Monday round also featured no spectators, as it was deemed too hazardous given the forecasted rain and warnings.

 

This left players in a unique situation, essentially being given the day off on Sunday. For some, the day-off was good, while others found it tedious and unsure what to do with themselves, especially with so much on the line for the tournament. Some worked on their putting in their hotels rooms, while others opted for rest and relaxation. 

54 hole co-leader Jon Rahm saw the day-off as an opportunity for family time, with his four-month baby and wife who were both with him for the tournament this week.

This was the first mid-tournament postponement of a round since the 2019 Zozo Championship in Japan.

 

The staff at Liberty National should be applauded this week, particularly for their work in drying out the course after Sunday's heavy rainfall. 

TOP 70: WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT

To advance to the second round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs (later on this week at the BMW Championship), players needed to rank in the Top 70 at the end of The Northern Trust.

 

Keith Michell, who started the week in 101st place, needed a good result this week to move into the Top 70. And he did just that, finishing T8, with enough points to get him into the field next week.

For a full list of the FedEx Cup Rankings as of now, click HERE.

CALM BEFORE STORM LEADS TO NEW COURSE RECORD AT LIBERTY NATIONAL

Saturday was no doubt the calm before the storm. With winds low and conditions favorable, Saturday's rounds saw a slew of low scores including a new course record of 60 shot by Cameron Smith. His round consists of six birdies on the front nine and five on the back nine. He played the final five holes at 4-under par on Saturday, which propelled him up the leaderboard to T1 heading into the final round.

Scores of 62 were also shot on Saturday by Erik van Rooyen, Shane Lowry and Canadian Corey Connors.

 

The conditions on Monday were also soft, with more low scores, however a stiff wind was present at times.

The low scoring comes as a stark contrast to the 2013 The Barclays, which saw a pre-renovation version of Liberty National Golf Club. That week, the winning score was 11-under and the low round of the week was a 63-shot by Keegen Bradley. 

There is always debate amongst fans as to what is more entertaining, watching players battle through a tough course or watching them dominate a vulnerable course. Personally, I think both are equally exciting. 

***

That concludes another exciting week on the PGA Tour. The excitement continues (later this week) with the second playoff event: The BMW Championship, where the Top 70 will battle it out to win and ultimately gain entry into the prestigious final tournament: The Tour Championship. Only one will be crowned the FedEx Cup Champion, who will it be?

Stay tuned for our preview post of the 2021 BMW Championship later this week,

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews