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(North Berwick, Scotland) — Rory McIlroy birdied the last two holes to win the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday at The Renaissance Club, defeating Robert MacIntyre by a stroke to capture his first Scottish Open title, and his first win since the Dubai Desert Classic.
McIlroy finished at 15-under 265 and moved past Jon Rahm to No. 2 in the world.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, closed with a 70 and tied for third with Byeong Hun An (70) and David Lingmerth (68). The tournament was co-sanctioned by the European tour and the PGA Tour.
McIlroy said: “This is right up there with the best of them. After missing the short birdie putt on 16, I thought if I could birdie one of the last two I would get into a playoff, and that would be a bonus, but to finish 2-3 in these conditions. The two iron shots that I hit — the 5-iron into 17 and the 2-iron into the last are probably two of the best shots I have hit all year, and to finish them off with the putts as well … It feels absolutely amazing. I’ve had a few close calls recently so to get over the line and get this bit of confidence going into next week and the rest of the season is huge.”
McIlroy’s win in Scotland also marked his first win on European soil in seven years since the Irish Open. He will now head to Royal Liverpool at Hoylake for the 151st Open Championship, where he will attempt to win the title for the first time in nine-years.
