McIlroy disappointed not to shoot the final round 59
Rory McIlroy shot a final round of 61 to win the Canadian Open with seven shots
Rory McIlroy says he was disappointed that he should not shoot the final round of the 59 on his way to winning the Canadian Open.
A bird at the 18th hole would have given him a round of 59, but he bogeyed after finding a greenside bunker.
"I had a chance to shoot 59 – I'm sorry to be disappointed," McIlroy joked after his seven-shot victory
"By the time I reached the 14th section , I wasn't thinking about winning the tournament. I was thinking about shooting 59, "he added.
"I had to slightly revalue my goals in the middle of that back nine. I played 17 beautiful holes, was 10 under for 17 holes and I shot four down on the back nine with two bogeys so that was pretty good too, "continued the four-time big winner.
& # 39; Comfortable with my game & # 39;
The Northern Irishman was followed by five shots that went into the fi two rounds, but saw a 64 on Saturday, followed by 61 on Sunday, he finished 22 under par, seven clear from Webb Simpson and Shane Lowry.
His 16th PGA Tour success sees him rise to number three in the world ranking and second in the FedEx Cup rankings.
"I have seen some good signals in my game in the first few days and played well to put myself in the position to challenge there or thereabouts.
" On Saturday I felt I was really comfortable with my game and I played aggressively. I swung very freely and shot the 64 to get stuck for the lead. I was proud that I still played with that freedom when I went out on Sunday.
"I just put my foot on the ground and really made this tournament mine. I found a little groove and I want to keep it going."
US Open title the main target
After missing the cutbacks at the Memorial Tournament last week, McIlroy is happy that he has recaptured the form that his US Open of 2011 is likely to repeat triumph this week at Pebble Beach.
"The margins are so small. I never try to get carried away if I play well and not get carried away too fast if I play poorly.
" In general, my consistency was good. I have been in the top 10 for most weeks. "
The 30-year-old also won the Players Championship in March, but has not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship 2014.
" This is what I think I can do – I have being able to do it earlier and it is nice to return to that feeling. It has been a while since I won with a few shots, going back to Quail Hollow in 2015, where I won with seven.
"If I put myself in the right place, I will hopefully be able to do it more often and produce the kind of wave I produced over the weekend.
" I think that I do my best when I play golf on large pieces and the way I won this tournament gives me great confidence in the future.
"I played last week, then this week, and the US Open will be my third in a row. Part of the reason for my game here was to get my game in good shape for Pebble Beach, but it does not mean that this victory is not very important. "
