2014 Bridgestone Invitational: Rory McIlroy Roars From Behind To Win Second Straight Tourney

By Matt Gajtka | Aug 3, 2014

Aug 3, 2014; Akron, OH, USA; Rory McIlroy putts on the 18th hole during the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

AKRON, Ohio – Sergio Garcia carried a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the Bridgestone Invitational, but he couldn’t have felt very comfortable.

After all, even though he followed up his course-record 61 on Friday with a solid third-round 67, he had to scramble to save par on each of his final three holes Saturday.

Making matters more uncertain for Garcia: in his PGA Tour career entering Sunday, he had won just three times in 11 opportunities when leading after three rounds.

And, oh yeah, the guy chasing Garcia at Firestone Country Club, Rory McIlroy, was riding the high of winning the Open Championship two weeks prior. The 25-year-old star birdied his final two holes Saturday to squeeze into the final pairing, hoping to earn his fourth PGA win when trailing after three rounds.

Rain delayed Sunday’s later tee times by about an hour, but the early inclement weather couldn’t deny McIlroy, who birdied the first three holes on his way to a final-round 66 that earned a two-stroke victory over Garcia.

“I just started really, really well,” said McIlroy, who wrested the world No. 1 ranking away from Adam Scott with his second win in as many starts. “That was an important stretch of the golf tournament. I put some pressure on Sergio early and played another really solid round of golf.”

McIlroy burst out of the gate on a moisture-softened Firestone South under lift-clean-and-place rules, surging to 15 under after birdieing the fifth hole. He fell back into a tie with good friend Garcia near the turn, but McIlroy took the lead for good with a 3 on the par-4 11th before gliding to seven pars in a row.

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Garcia, who improved to No. 3 in the World Golf Ranking with the runner-up result, bogeyed the par-3 15th to drop back to 13 under. Errant tee shots on 16 and 17 prevented the 34-year-old Spaniard from making a late move, as McIlroy polished off his eighth PGA Tour win in his 82nd start.

“When Rory’s playing well, we know how good he can be,” said Garcia after shooting a 1-over 71. “At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is keep trying. I just had one of those days where it didn’t feel quite as good, and because of that, I wasn’t able to get a bit closer and maybe win it.”

Two weeks ago at Royal Liverpool, it was Garcia who shot a 66 in a final-round charge. McIlroy proved to be a good closer in that instance, locking up his third major title, but he showed off his rallying ability in this World Golf Championships event.

Still, Garcia had his opportunities to put some heat on McIlroy at Firestone, but his touch on the greens betrayed him. He missed several reasonable birdie putts Sunday, a far cry from his 23-putt round Friday.

“I rode my luck a little bit on the back nine,” McIlroy said. “Sergio had some putts to get close to me.”

In claiming his first WGC title in 22 attempts, McIlroy became the third-youngest golfer to win the Bridgestone, ranking behind only Tiger Woods’ victories in 1999 and 2000 at 23 and 24 years old.

Like Woods did more than a decade ago, McIlroy has captured the imagination of golf fans around the world with his seemingly limitless potential. Northeast Ohio didn’t have any trouble embracing Firestone’s latest top-shelf champion, especially after he sportingly referenced LeBron James and Johnny Manziel during his trophy acceptance speech.

Garcia, always a crowd favorite since his younger days on tour, also enjoyed warm support from the Firestone patrons all day, even as he stumbled from three ahead to two behind through his first five holes.

“I felt like I played OK, not amazing,” Garcia said. “I didn’t feel comfortable on the greens at all. With the spin of the greens changing quite dramatically after the rain, they were quite slow (compared to) the last three days.”

The annual World Golf Championships tour stop was truly global, with six countries represented in the top 10. Australian up-and-comer Marc Leishman made a tournament-high 23 birdies on his way to a third-place 12-under total, his best finish in five WGC tries.

Aug 3, 2014; Akron, OH, USA; Sergio Garcia reacts after missing putt on the third hole during the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Former Masters winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa was part of a foursome at 9 under, along with Englishman Justin Rose and young Americans Patrick Reed and Keegan Bradley. Bradley edged Jim Furyk for the Bridgestone title two years ago in a thrilling finish.

“I do play well here,” said Bradley, who tied for second last year behind Woods. “I love Firestone. I love everything about this place, the atmosphere, the course. I didn’t play that great today, but I hung in there.”

Like Garcia, Scott fired a 71 to lose ground, although the mellow Aussie still tied for eighth at 7 under, his eighth top-10 result this season in 12 starts. Rickie Fowler followed his Open Championship runner-up with a 7-under total for the week, finishing level with Graeme McDowell and fellow American Ryan Moore.

As for the sport’s old(er) guard, there were mixed results on the formidable par-70 course. Phil Mickelson injected some serious mid-afternoon energy with an 8-under 62, rebounding from last week’s bout with strep throat and uninspired iron play over the first three days.

“Today it kind of came together,” Mickelson said after surging into a tie for 15th at 5 under. “I’ve just been kind of waiting for it to click, just waiting for things to come together without forcing it. When you feel like you’re close, all you need is for it to click one day and you’re off and running.

“Now, I don’t know what will happen next week (at the PGA Championship), but if I play well, I’ll look back at today’s round as the key point. My confidence…is astronomically higher than it was 24 hours ago.”

The same can’t be said for Woods. The eight-time Bridgestone champion was hoping to use this week as a comfortable run-up to his second major since back surgery, but he suffered back spasms early Sunday before withdrawing on No. 9.

Woods said he “jarred” himself when he stumbled back into a bunker on No. 2 following an approach shot.

“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “It’s just the whole lower back. It’s been spasming ever since. I’m just trying to get out of here.”

Everything seems difficult these days for the former world No. 1, while McIlroy has risen to the top of the rankings with apparent ease. He will gun for his second PGA title next week at Valhalla in Louisville, looking much like Woods did when he won the season’s final major there 14 years ago.

McIlroy’s midsummer run has been fuelled by explosiveness and accuracy off the tee, as he led the Bridgestone field in driving distance (317.7 yards) and finished tied for 12th in accuracy, hitting 34 of 56 fairways (60.7 percent).

It’s easy to imagine him in contention on Valhalla’s tight layout if he keeps poking drives with such effectiveness.

“When I drive it like that, I have a pretty good chance to win most weeks,” McIlroy said. “It’s the foundation of my game. Hopefully, I’m going into Valhalla in good form and try to get three in a row.”

Zac Weiss contributed to this report.

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