The late Arnold Palmer, who sadly passed away last night, said: “You must play boldly to win.” Rory McIlroy, unaware of the passing of the ‘King’, played with a daring conviction to win the Tour Championship and, more importantly, win the Fed Ex Cup and its $10m jackpot.
At the 16th hole at the Palmer-designed K Club in May, McIlroy seemingly flicked a switch at the 16th hole en route to victory in the Irish Open. It was sweet 16 for Rory again this time, as he holed his second shot at East Lake with three holes to go to spark a flurry of spectacular shots.
While it took a 4-hole playoff to see off the stubborn Ryan Moore, who can console himself with a Ryder Cup place, Rory’s bold shotmaking in the finale will live long in the memory.
Guardian golf writer Ewan Murray put it succinctly: “Nobody entertains in golf like Rory McIlroy. And when he plays his best, nobody can beat him.”
A bit like Palmer in his heyday, Rory has that special something.
The Power Drive 