Rory McIlroy’s rise back to world No 1: What will he achieve next after his CJ Cup title defence? | Golf News

McIlroy replaced Scottie Scheffler at the top of the world rankings after defending his CJ Cup title, following victories at the RBC Canadian Open and the Tour Championship earlier this year; Four-time major winner holds the world No 1 spot for a ninth time

There was little doubt that Rory McIlroy was capable of getting back to world No 1, although even he was taken aback by his rapid return to the top of the sport.

When McIlroy won the CJ Cup in Las Vegas last October, his landmark 20th PGA Tour victory, the prize was simply getting back into the world’s top 10 after more than a year of inconsistency with both his swing and results.

Step forward 12 months and McIlroy has successfully defended his title, claiming a one-shot victory over Kurt Kitayama in South Carolina to make a winning start to the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, with his latest success also seeing him secure the world No 1 spot for a ninth time.

Kurt Kitayama (right) narrowly missed out on a maiden PGA Tour victory

The victory follows a winning return to RBC Canadian Open in June and a historic third FedExCup title at August’s Tour Championship, along with top-eight finishes in all four majors, with a brilliant few months enough to leapfrog Scottie Scheffler and reclaim No 1 for the first time since July 2020.

Few could have predicted the 2022 that McIlroy was going to have after a rather underwhelming start to the year, with top-13 finishes in his first four worldwide starts followed by a frustrating week at a weather-affected Players Championship and a missed cut at the Valero Texas Open.

“If someone had told me on the Friday night of the Valero Texas Open when I missed the cut that I would be world No 1 by October, I would have asked them what they were smoking because I would not have believed them!” McIlroy admitted after his CJ Cup title defence.

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Rory McIlroy reveals how it feels to return to world No 1 after retaining the CJ Cup title.

A runner-up finish at The Masters the following week kick-started his year, while McIlroy’s victory in Canada in June saw him overtake Greg Norman in the PGA Tour’s all-time victory standings the same week the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series fronted by the Australian launched.

McIlroy felt he let an opportunity for a first major title since 2014 ‘slip away’ the following month when he failed to turn a share of the 54-hole lead at The Open into a fifth major victory, although used the disappointment as motivation for a dominant second half of the year.

The 33-year-old went into the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship seventh in the standings and six strokes behind Scheffler, a four-time winner in 2022, only to recover from playing his first two holes in four over to beat the American by a shot.

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The best of the action from the final round of the Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club, where Rory McIlroy claimed FedExCup victory

McIlroy travelled across to Europe to post three consecutive top-four finishes on the DP World Tour, before bringing his form back across to Congaree Golf Club last week to claim a third victory in a much-improved 2022.

“All three wins I’ve had to go out there and win them, right?” McIlroy explained. “I shot 62 to win in Canada, I shot 66 at Tour Championship and then went out with a lead today [Sunday of the CJ Cup] and shot four under to win.

“I think that’s been the most satisfying thing. I’ve put myself in position all those three times and went out there and got the job done and did what I needed to. They’re great strides and great steps in the right direction.”

Rory McIlroy made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on his back nine, before a bogey-bogey finish saw him close a final-round 67

McIlroy’s next scheduled worldwide appearance is on the DP World Tour at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, live on Sky Sports from November 17-20, with the Northern Irishman currently top of the season-long standings and looking to win the Order of Merit for a fourth time.

When McIlroy will tee it after that has yet to be confirmed, with the coming weeks and months being used to celebrate a stellar year that has been full of progress and positives.

“Just thinking over that last 12 months, there’s a lot of people that deserve a lot of the plaudits,” McIlroy admitted. “I’m the one that sits up here and takes them, but there’s a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t know about.

“All of that stuff combined is just as important as what I do out there trying to get these wins. It’s a team effort and I think whenever I think about that, that’s what gets me a little bit choked up and emotional because it’s really cool to be on this journey with other people that you want to be on the journey with.”

Rory McIlroy celebrated his third victory of the year with caddie Harry Diamond

McIlroy’s string of strong performances means he could keep his world No 1 ranking going into 2023, where he will have more success – including a long-awaited career Grand Slam at The Masters – in his sights.

“It’s just been a wild six months,” McIlroy said. “I figured a few things out with my game and I’ve just been on a really good run.

“Everything sort of feels like it’s came together for me and today [CJ Cup victory] was just a continuation of how I felt like I’ve been playing over these last few months. Now it’s all about going forward and trying to just keep this going.”