McIlroy flirts with 59, runs away with Canadian Open title

Rory McIlroy flirted with 59 while cruising to the RBC Canadian Open title on Sunday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ontario. Here’s everything you need to know:

Leaderboard: Rory McIlroy (-22), Webb Simpson (-15), Shane Lowry (-15), Brandt Snedeker (-13), Matt Kuchar (-13), Adam Hadwin (-12)

What it means: A week removed from struggling with his driver and missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament, McIlroy was masterful off the tee – and with everything else – as he lapped the field with a 9-under 61 Sunday to win by seven shots. McIlroy gained nearly seven shots on the field off the tee, easily tops this week, as he captured his 16th PGA Tour title and sixth different national open. McIlroy now heads to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with 10 top-10s and two wins on the season. The last time he won the week before a major? 2014, when he captured the WGC-Bridgestone before winning the PGA Championship.

Full-field scores from the RBC Canadian Open

RBC Canadian Open: Articles, photos and videos

Round of the day: McIlroy birdied five of his first seven holes to build a nice cushion. He then birdied four straight beginning at the par-4 11th hole. He got too aggressive at the par-3 16th and made bogey from the bunker but responded with a kick-in eagle at the par-5 17th hole. With a chance to shoot 59, McIlroy found the sand with his approach at No. 18 and made bogey to tie his best career round on Tour.

Best of the rest: Sungjae Im fired 6-under 64 to finish seventh while Sebastian Munoz also carded 64. Munoz tied for 11^th but missed out on the third and final Open Championship berth up for grabs. Adam Hadwin and Graeme McDowell qualified, and so would have Munoz if he had cracked the top 10.

Biggest disappointment: While Simpson and Kuchar did little to challenge McIlroy, Mackenzie Hughes failed to make a birdie, shot 71 and fell to T-14 to miss out on potentially earning a spot in The Open.

Shot of the day: After hitting a 341-yard drive on No. 17, McIlroy hit 7-iron from 197 yards out to 2 feet to set up his eagle.

Quote of the day: “I can’t wait to come back next year.” – McIlroy

Rory McIlroy routed the field at the RBC Canadian Open, something he’s quite familiar with at the U.S. Open. As McIlroy eyes his fifth career major title, watch ‘My Roots’ to learn the backstory to his journey, exclusively on GolfPass. Click here to enjoy a free 7-day trial!