Rory McIlroy insists victory in the Tour Championship justifies his decision to compete full-time on the PGA Tour.
McIlroy was at his dominating best brilliantly snuffing-out new arch-rival Brooks Koepka and make ammends for last year’s ‘spectator role’ alongside Tiger Woods, to win the title for a second occasion in four years.
It was last November at the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship when McIlroy clearly ruffled many European Tour feathers by indicating he was considering not taking-up Tour membership and turn his full attention to the PGA Tour.
McIlroy kept to that promise in turning his back on the European Tour ‘Middle East Swing’ and for a first time in his pro career electing to head to Hawaii for the start of the New Year by teeing-up in the Sentry-sponsored Tournament of Champions.
Aug 25, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Rory McIlroy celebrates with the FedEx Cup after winning the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
He finished fourth at Kapalua in a first of 19 tournaments and would proceed to capture the Players Championship, the RBC Canadian Open and now a second season-ending Tour Championship. Along with three victories, and feat he had achieved in 2012, McIlroy had 14 top-10s.
McIlroy, and while he did eventually rejoin the European Tour, also set a new record in amassing $22.7m in career earnings for 2019 on the PGA Tour.
In those 19 tournaments, and where he made the halfway cut in all but two, it has been worked out McIlroy earned roughly $18,000 for every hole McIlroy has played this year.
“I look back this year on what I have done on the PGA Tour knowing that I have given myself so many opportunities, and I feel if I didn’t win today I would have left here very disappointed,” he said.
“So, to win again today and get my third win of the season it’s fantastic. It’s been a great season and I now return to World No. 2 after this finish, so everything is heading in the right direction, as well.
“It’s also validated primarily my decision at the start of the season to concentrate over here in the States but then I now turn my attention to Europe as I am playing in Switzerland next week.
“I also still have a pretty busy run leading up to Dubai, so the PGA Tour season has gone incredibly well and for me I am pretty happy how well I played but I still have some more tournaments to play and I want to finish the year off on a positive note.”
