After a two-year hiatus on the PGA Tour schedule due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open returned this week and the fans in Toronto saw quite the show.
Justin Rose was on 59 watch before a brutal bogey on the 18th hole and the final group of defending champion from 2019 Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau each had a shot at the title down the stretch. Ultimately it was McIlroy who emerged victorious at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, earning his 21st win on Tour.
“This is a day I’ll remember for a long, long time,” said McIlroy to CBS’ Amanda Balionis Renner, “21st PGA Tour win, one more than somebody else, that gave me a little extra incentive today and I’m happy to get it done.”
Greg Norman, the face of the rival and Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series that began this week, has 20 PGA Tour wins.
After getting cross-checked with a bogey on the par-3 16th, known as “The Rink” for its hockey boards and hospitality suites known as “penalty boxes,” McIlroy and Thomas were tied at 17 under on the 17th hole. McIlroy picked up a two-shot swing with a tap-in birdie after a Thomas bogey to carry a two-shot lead to the 18th hole. McIlroy made birdie at the last to defend his title with a 9-under 61 to win at 19 under, two shots clear of Finau and three clear of Thomas.