A relaxed McIlroy looks to continue winning ways as golf’s top player
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It’s been quite the stretch of golf for Rory McIlroy since last year’s RBC Canadian Open.
McIlroy, who is the defending champion at The Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass, rode the momentum from his win in Florida to Hamilton and onwards to topping the FedEx Cup standings for the second time.
He went on to win Player of the Year honours on the PGA Tour.
Although McIlroy hasn’t seen much of Canada – he went to Toronto for four days after playing the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2015 to see his friend Nail Horan (yes, the lead singer of uber-popular boy band One Direction) play a concert and he said he would love to see Vancouver one day – he certainly made a big impact a year ago.
The 30-year-old blitzed the field at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, finishing with a 9-under 61 Sunday. He topped Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson, who tied for second, by seven shots. It was a crowning of sorts for the young Ulsterman, as, for a week, he was the King of Canada.
Right back at ya, @McIlroyRory!
Cheers, champ ? pic.twitter.com/WIotjSqxvm
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 10, 2019
McIlroy has been the king of the golf world for a little longer than just a week, however.
As of this week at The Players, McIlroy has been on top of the world golf rankings for a clean 100 weeks in his career.
“I’m very proud to think that I’ve spent two years of my career at the top of the World Rankings. It’s a pretty nice feeling,” said McIlroy on Tuesday at Sawgrass.
Although he admitted reaching No. 1 this time around was anti-climatic – he essentially got to the top spot via a mathematical formula and not by a particular accomplishment – he said he still managed to find time to celebrate the milestone with his caddie and best friend, Harry Diamond, who took over McIlroy’s bag in 2017.
“We’ve been on that journey together from sort of injuries and not playing my best all the way back to the top of the world,” said McIlroy. “So it was important for me to sit down and have a few drinks with him and be like, you know, ‘we’ve done this, this was our journey and we did it, two guys that grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, playing golf together,’ and that we’ve done this is something that was really cool.”
Indeed, McIlroy has had much to celebrate over the last 12 months, including his victory at the RBC Canadian Open.
In an interview in January, McIlroy said, for the first time in his life, he’s feeling very settled. He turned 30 in 2019 and has a new home base in South Florida with his wife, Erica. He took a holiday over Christmastime for the first time in forever, he said. He’s trying to travel less. He’s enjoying the little things in life like a good book and a nice bottle of wine.
After winning the FedEx Cup last year, he gave himself the opportunity to think back to the year-that-was and recognize his accomplishments.
“This year it was very nice to enjoy downtime. I played a lot (in 2019) and I played well and I wanted to enjoy some time and reflect on a good year I feel very settled, very balanced, it’s been nice to spend time at home and do that as well.”
McIlroy comes into this week at The Players playing some magical golf. So far this season McIlroy has finished T3-1-T3-T5-5-T5.
Still, McIlroy is not one to be complacent.
“I think the only way to not win is to concentrate on the results,” he said. “So if I can just concentrate on what I’m doing and what I’m doing well, what I maybe need to improve on a little bit, just break the game down into different sections but really just try to make it as simple as possible, if I can do a few different things in my golf game just a little bit better, those thirds and fifths will hopefully turn into wins.”
No one has ever defended their Players Championship title, but if anyone could make it happen – and considering how well he’s playing coming into the week – it would be McIlroy.
“If there’s been no one to defend, it would be a nice time to start and have someone do that,” said McIlroy. “A lot of similarities between this year and last year in terms of how I’ve played the first few events of the year, given myself some chances, haven’t quite been able to capitalize, and obviously it would be wonderful to replicate what happened last year.”
The Chainsmokers and Keith Urban to headline RBCxMusic Concert Series at 2020 RBC Canadian Open
RBC Canadian Open returns as qualifying site for The Open
The road to The 149th Open at Royal St George’s will stop in Canada once again, as the 2020 RBC Canadian at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto will be among 16 events in 11 countries to make up The Open Qualifying Series for 2020.
The Emirates Australian Open, which is being played from 5-8 December at The Australian in Sydney, will be the first opportunity for players to secure their place at Royal St George’s next year.
The Open Qualifying Series will visit Morocco for the first time with the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II event offering one qualifying place for golf’s original championship, while the Travelers Championship on the PGA TOUR returns to the schedule for the first time since 2015 with two qualifying spots available.
A minimum of 46 places in The Open are available through the Series, which provides golfers with opportunities to qualify at events around the world on the PGA TOUR, the European Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Asian Tour, the Korean Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the Sunshine Tour.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “We have agreed an exciting schedule of events with our colleagues at the leading professional tours around the world and we will look forward to finding out which golfers qualify for Royal St George’s.
“We know there is real excitement among fans at the prospect of The Open returning to Royal St George’s which will undoubtedly spur on players to qualify to compete over the famous Kent links come July next year.”
The South African Open hosted by The City of Joburg will be played at Randpark, Johannesburg from 9-12 January and three qualifying places will be on offer.
Four places in The Open will be available at both the SMBC Singapore Open, which is being played at Sentosa Golf Club, and The Mizuno Open taking place at The Royal Golf Club in Japan.
On the PGA TOUR, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and RBC Canadian Open will each have three qualifying places, while the last qualifying place will be confirmed at the John Deere Classic on the eve of The 149th Open.
On the European Tour, four places at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will be available.
Two places will also be available at the KOLON Korea Open in June.
Regional Qualifying events will take place throughout Great Britain and Ireland with Caldy, Rochester & Cobham Park and Moor Park confirmed as three new venues for 2020. A minimum of 12 places will then be available at Final Qualifying events taking place at Fairmont St Andrews, Notts (Hollinwell), Prince’s and St Annes Old Links.
Select RBC Canadian Open tickets now available
TORONTO – (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, are pleased to announce that select tickets for the 2020 RBC Canadian Open are now available.
The RBC Canadian Open will be held June 8-14 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility. Defending champion Rory McIlroy will lead the stars of the PGA TOUR back to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host for the first time since 2010.With a new premier spot on the PGA TOUR schedule in early June, the RBC Canadian Open is a summer festival marking the unofficial start of Canada’s golf season. The week-long celebration, which sold out certain days in 2019, offers more than just world class golf… it has something for everybody. The RBC Canadian Open delivers affordable and fun entertainment, with excitement both on the fairway and beyond.
Early ticket offerings available include:
GENERAL ADMISSION – WEEKLY BADGES & ANYDAY TICKETS
Take advantage of miles of front row seating! General admission tickets provide access to the golf course—get an up-close look at your favourite PGA TOUR stars, enjoy fan activations throughout the golf course and experience the thrill of major professional golf.
A fully transferable general admission Weekly Badge costs $180 and an Anyday Ticket (valid any day of tournament week) costs $80.
1904 CLUB PRESENTED BY RBC ISHARES
The 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares delivers an elevated fan experience in the heart of the golf course. Located between the 1st and 10th greens, this premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the PGA TOUR! Enjoy relief and shelter from the elements, take in the broadcast on TV and treat yourself to upgraded food, beverages and hospitality.
A 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Badge (valid Thursday to Sunday) costs $300.
VISIT WWW.RBCANADIANOPEN.COM/TICKETS to purchase select
2020 RBC Canadian Open tickets
Additional ticket options will be available for purchase beginning December 12, 2019 at 10:00 am ET.
Join us to witness world-class PGA TOUR golf, activities for all ages including ‘The Rink’, local food and patio experiences and more. Get your tickets today and be a part of one of Canada’s premier sporting events – www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.
* Youth 13-17 years of age receive a 15% discount, while juniors aged 12-and-under gain FREE grounds admission all week long.
Rory McIlroy named 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Rory McIlroy has been named the 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2018-19 season. McIlroy will receive the Jack Nicklaus Award for winning PGA TOUR Player of the Year for the third time in his career (2012, 2014, 2019).
Sungjae Im was voted 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and will receive the Arnold Palmer Award, renamed in 2019 as a tribute to its namesake’s influence on countless young players and a fitting honor for its recipients, who will shape the game and the PGA TOUR for generations to come.
PGA TOUR members who played at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2018-19 season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on September 6.
McIlroy, 30, of Holywood, Northern Ireland, won the FedExCup for the second time (2016, 2019), becoming just the second player to win the season-long race multiple times (Tiger Woods), and the first player to win THE PLAYERS Championship and the FedExCup in the same season. With three wins on the season (THE PLAYERS, RBC Canadian Open, TOUR Championship), McIlroy matched Brooks Koepka for the most on TOUR, and marked the third time he collected three or more victories in a single season. McIlroy also won the Byron Nelson Award for Adjusted Scoring Average (69.057) for the third time in his career and led the PGA TOUR in Top-10s (14) and Strokes Gained: Total (2.551).
“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, my congratulations to Rory McIlroy on being voted the 2019 PGA TOUR Player of the Year by the TOUR’s membership,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “While there are a number of honors one can receive in this game, PGA TOUR Player of the Year has to be among the most satisfying as it comes directly from his peers. Rory’s season was a model of consistency punctuated by milestone victories and ultimately the FedExCup in Atlanta.”
One heck of a year, champ! Congrats to @McIlroyRory on being named the #PGATOUR’s 2018-19 Player of the Year! ????#LiveUnderPar #RBCCO pic.twitter.com/mluGMjWGId
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) September 11, 2019
After one start in the fall of 2018 (World Golf Championships/HSBC Champions), McIlroy opened the 2019 calendar year with top-sixes in his first five starts before winning THE PLAYERS for his 15th career PGA TOUR victory. He became only the third player to win THE PLAYERS, a major, the FedExCup and a World Golf Championships event in a career, joining Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson.
Six starts later, McIlroy made his tournament debut at the RBC Canadian Open, where he set the tournament record and won by seven shots, the largest winning margin of the season.
Three of McIlroy’s 14 top-10 finishes came at World Golf Championships events: Mexico Championship/2, Dell Technologies Match Play/T9 and FedEx St. Jude Invitational/T4.
McIlroy ended the PGA TOUR Regular Season at No. 2 in the FedExCup standings, claiming second place in the inaugural Wyndham Rewards Top 10, a $10 million bonus pool split among the top-10 finishers in the FedExCup Regular Season.
McIlroy entered the TOUR Championship at No. 5 in the FedExCup standings, beginning the FedExCup Playoffs finale at 5-under, based on the new FedExCup Starting Strokes system. With rounds of 66-67-68-66, McIlroy won the TOUR Championship and hoisted the FedExCup for the second time in his career.
McIlroy was selected for the honor over (alphabetically) Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele.
Im, a 21-year-old native of Jeju, South Korea, was the only rookie to advance to the TOUR Championship and finished the season tied for 19th in the FedExCup standings. With his Rookie of the Year honors, Im joins Stewart Cink (1996-97) as the only players to be named the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons.
For the season, Im made 26 cuts in 35 starts, becoming the first rookie in the FedExCup era to play 35 or more events. He recorded seven top-10s, highlighted by three top-fives, with his best finish of the season coming at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, where he tied for third.
See you next year, Rors! #RBCCO pic.twitter.com/Lq6vzGCXJU
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 10, 2019
“Congratulations to Sungjae on being voted 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year,” said Monahan. “His ‘Ironman’ season was remarkably consistent from start-to-finish, and his fellow players raved about his all-around game throughout the year. Like so many Korn Ferry Tour graduates, he arrived on the PGA TOUR prepared to compete with the world’s best, and his season was a reflection of a maturity beyond his 21 years.”
Im was selected for the honor over (alphabetically) Cameron Champ, Adam Long, Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff.
Levelwear and Golf Canada announce significant partnership extension
Aurora, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and LEVELWEAR today announced an agreement that will see LEVELWEAR extend their official apparel partnership with the National Sport Federation for golf through 2022.
The multi-year extension will continue LEVELWEAR’s support as Official Headwear and Apparel provider across a multitude of Golf Canada properties and championships. The LEVELWEAR brand will continue as the official headwear and apparel as well as the official volunteer uniform for several of Golf Canada’s properties including the RBC Canadian Open, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and the World Junior Girls Championship. The partnership will also extend across Golf Canada’s digital network of web, social and golfer engagement platforms.
“LEVELWEAR has become one of our most engaged partners and we are pleased to extend their meaningful commitment to Canadian golf across so many foundational pillars of our organization,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “The LEVELWEAR brand represents the highest quality performance for both serious and recreational golfers. Our robust partnership touches many levels of Canadian golf, from amateur to professional, and we are excited to continue working with their talented team.”
For LEVELWEAR, extending and deepening their brand alignment with Golf Canada was a natural evolution to grow a partnership that began in 2017.
“We are proud to be extending our partnership with Golf Canada and their many world-class golf programs, championships and golfer engagement platforms,” said LEVELWEAR President & CEO Hilton Ngo . “Supporting golf at all levels in Canada is a key priority and our collaboration with Golf Canada has done a tremendous job in elevating our brand with Canadian golfers nationally.”
Over 1,800 volunteers help drive memorable RBC Canadian Open
The RBC Canadian Open is always an event to remember. To make this a successful championship, RBC and Golf Canada rely on the hard work and dedication of volunteers.
Click here to learn more.
Mary DePaoli recaps an amazing 2019 RBC Canadian Open
Mary DePaoli (EVP & Chief Marketing Officer for RBC) sums up a fantastic 2019 RBC Canadian Open.
What I learned volunteering at the RBC Canadian Open
Thank you to the fans, the volunteers, the tournament organizers and the sponsors for a fantastic end to a fantastic tournament!
A picturesque end to the day, nothing beats the last group walking up the final fairway to a thunderous ovation from an adoring crowd. We couldn’t have written a better end to the day, with Rory McIlroy, the darling of the golf world, taking home the championship (in a Toronto Raptors jersey to boot!)
The perfect end to a perfect day, but there is a lot of work that goes into it. The fairytale ending we all experienced today is not what it is without the thousands of volunteers tending the ropes. Dedicated golf fans that are teachers, police officers, members of the host club, retirees, and a million other things. These are the lifeblood of Our Open. They are the engine that drives the wheels of our championship.
And we owe them a massive thank you. For the 25,000 people in the sold-out crowd on Sunday, there were volunteers everywhere, making sure that the tournament was as great as it turned out to be. The unsung heroes of the championship, they are the ones that drive the parking lot shuttles, hold the “Quiet eh?” signs in the air for hours on end, keep the players and crowd safe, tend to the hospitality tents and make sure the complicated effervescent tangle of gallery rope line is in working order.
These people come together from all walks of life and descend upon the host golf course, working a long week and longer hours. They partake in the beehive-like efficiency of running a PGA TOUR event – but why? They do it because they love it.
They love the players, the TOUR, the golf course, the RBC Canadian Open, the experience of being inside the ropes, the experience of helping people, and the experience of showing the game they love off to the country, the players, the patronage and the world.
Les Palango, Hamilton radio personality, said that “I love to volunteer because it gets me in the action, I can man the ropes and the players all walk right by me. You see them on TV all the time, but to have Rory McIlroy walk by you and personally thank you for doing your job, that makes it worth it to me.”
It’s the spirit of the volunteers, the thousands of them that sign-up for forty-nine PGA TOUR events all over the country (but especially ours), that is the heart and soul of the game. The grow the game initiative comes from the passion of people like these. It’s awe-inspiring the passion of the golfer.
As the day was wrapping up, and our champion golfer McIlroy was signing his scorecard before the trophy presentation, I turned to a volunteer standing on the 18th green and asked him his favourite part of the week, “This,“ he told me. That was all he needed to say. This was everything. This moment. Thousands of people carved into the natural amphitheatre, all sharing the collective consciousness of pride in their tournament. They were chanting for the Raptors, Rory, singing Oh Canada, and not a soul had left since the final putt dropped. They all wanted more. “Wow eh?,” was all I could muster back to him, and we both stood there, taking in the moment, knowing exactly what we were talking about without saying anything.
So sign up to be a volunteer. Get more. Show the game you love to your friends, your family, a total stranger. Within your passion will ignite their passion.
The amazing experience of being a volunteer at the 2020 RBC Canadian Open is right around the corner, and you don’t want to miss out.
Click here to learn more.
Golfer Rory McIlroy and Raptors star Kyle Lowry bond over mutual respect
Rory McIlroy may have won the RBC Canadian Open, but he left Ontario with the best prize of all: friendship.
The world No. 3 golfer and Toronto Raptors all-star Kyle Lowry became fast friends over the past week, bonding over their performances in high-pressure events. McIlroy went on to win the Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ont., while Lowry was instrumental in Toronto taking a 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals heading into Monday night’s Game 5.
They first met when McIlroy, in Toronto ahead of the Canadian Open, attended Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 2 at Scotiabank Arena. McIlroy went into Toronto’s locker room after the Raptors’ 109-104 loss to Golden State and started chatting with Lowry, exchanging phone numbers.
“We messaged back and forth a little bit this week,” said McIlroy, who watched Toronto’s two wins in Oakland, Calif., on television between rounds of Canada’s national golf championship. “It was awesome to see them do what they did over on the West Coast.”
When McIlroy won the PGA Tour event on Sunday, he pulled on an autographed Lowry jersey on the 18th green and shouted “Raptors in five!” to cheers from the thousands in attendance. A source told The Canadian Press that Lowry had made plans to watch McIlroy’s final round in person on Sunday, but opted to stay in Toronto and rest ahead of Monday night’s Game 5.
"I've been to a couple basketball games, but there was just nothing like it"@Raptors | #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/7vCRgI2fP1
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 9, 2019
McIlroy wanted to return the favour, but had to fly to California to play in this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
“If I didn’t have a big tournament next week, I would be sticking around for that Game 5,” said McIlroy, who is also friends with L.A. Lakers superstar LeBron James and been his guest at previous NBA Finals. “I’m sure it’ll be awesome.”
Although June 2 was the first time they had spoken, Lowry had seen McIlroy play in person before.
“I didn’t realize he followed us around in L.A. at the start of the year,” said McIlroy. “I played with Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas the first two rounds and (Lowry) followed us around. He said in the summertime when he’s got some time off he basically plays 36 holes a day. I was pretty impressed with that.”