A little more than two months after leaving East Lake with the FedExCup, Rory McIlroy is once again atop the season-long standings.
And eyeing another No. 1 ranking.
With his playoff win over Xander Schauffele on Sunday in Shanghai, McIlroy picked up his fourth PGA Tour win since March, adding to a list of 2019 triumphs that already includes The Players Championship, the RBC Canadian Open, the Tour Championship, the aforementioned FedExCup and the Player of the Year Award.
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And while the win wasn’t enough to erase the sizable gap between himself and world No. 1 Brooks Koepka, McIlroy is closing the gap, pulling almost within one point in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I’m trying to [chase down Koepka],” McIlroy said Sunday. “I’m still a little behind, I think, but I’m getting there. This win definitely helps, and if I can get another win by the end of the year, I’ll be feeling pretty good heading into 2020.”
McIlroy will next have an opportunity to do so at the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, an event he won in 2012 and 2015, before a two-month, offseason break.
“I’m looking forward to that break, but I’ve still got one more tournament left this year at a place where I’ve had some success, so I want to try to finish the year on a high note.”