Rory McIlroy defends the CJ Cup this week

ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND - JULY 16: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off on the 12th hole during Day Three of The 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course on July 16, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Stuart Kerr/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy defends the CJ Cup this week. We take a look back at the last 12 months as he bids to regain the world No 1 ranking.

2021

The 2021 CJ Cup was played at The Summit Club in Los Vegas. Rory McIlroy had a point to prove in this tournament after a disappointing Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. 2021 The Open Champion Collin Morikawa set the clubhouse lead after shooting a final round of ten under. This put McIlroy under pressure but holed an incredible putt for an eagle on the 14th hole which was crucial in winning the tournament by one shot. McIlroy won his 20th PGA Tour tournament after winning the 2021 CJ Cup but it has been a rollercoaster for the Northern Irish man over the last 12 months.

Dubai

The 2021 DP Tour Championship was the final tournament on the European Tour. McIlroy had a great opportunity to win going into the final round but had a frustrating round of two over par on day four. Morikawa seized the initiative as the 2021 Champion Golfer Of The Year won the final tournament on the European Tour. McIlroy ripped his shirt off in frustration after not winning the final tournament on the European Tour. McIlroy had revenge on his mind as he returned to Dubai in 2022 to tee it up at the Dubai Desert Classic. McIlroy was in the driving seat and needed a birdie on the 18th to win but collapsed as he put his second shot into the water. McIlroy finished in 3rd place at the 2022 Dubai Desert Classic.

PGA Tour

McIlroy made his first appearance of 2022 on the PGA Tour at the Genesis Open. McIlroy had four average rounds but finished tied for 10th after shooting a final round of three under par to finish on 10 under. McIlroy played his next tournament in Florida at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. McIlroy shot an unbelievable first round of seven under to lead but had three disappointing rounds to follow as he finished tied 13th after four rounds. McIlroy played The Players at Sawgrass in March 2022 and struggled to get a rhythm due to the rain delays but finished tied 33rd after shooting a final round of six under. McIlroy didn’t have an ideal preparation for 2022 US Masters as he missed the cut in Valero Texas Open the week before Augusta.

US Masters

Every April McIlroy has to cope with the pressure of trying to become the sixth golfer to win the grand slam of golf majors at Augusta. This year the spotlight was taking off McIlroy due to Tiger Woods returning to the professional game at Augusta. McIlroy battled well on day two to make the cut on two over par. McIlroy shot a one-under round on day three but kept his best round to day four as he shot an eight-under round of 64. The highlights of this round were an eagle at the par 5 13th and an unbelievable bunker shot on the 18th which went into the hole for a birdie. It was very frustrating for McIlroy that only started playing well when out of contention.

Big Summer

McIlroy continued his good form from the 2022 US Masters as he finished 5th on four under at Wells Fargo Championship. MCIlroy’s consistency continued as he finished 8th at the 2022 PGA Championship but left Southern Hills without doing any media duties. His next start was at The Memorial in June but this was only the third time that he finished outside the top 10 in 2022. McIlroy played in RBC Canadian Open the same week as the first LIV series event and used this as a motivator as he shot a final round of 62 to win his second Canadian Open in three years. His wedge play was unbelievable in the final round as he set up multiple close opportunities for birdie attempts.

June/July

McIlroy kept himself in the 2022 U.S. Open over the first three rounds due to the flat stick being red hot. McIlroy had an opportunity to win in the final round but like Southern Hills, he left Brookline frustrated. McIlroy settled for a tied 5th finish at the 2022 U.S. Open. The final major of 2022 was a big one as it was the 150th Open at St Andrews. McIlroy shot a remarkable third round of 66 which included holing his second shot from a bunker on the short par 4 10th for an eagle. McIlroy had a four-shot lead going into the final round but had a conservative final round of two under par. Cameron Smith outplayed Rory in the final round to win The Open.

FedEx Cup

McIlroy went into the 2022 Tour Championship six behind Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy was 10 behind after two holes due to playing the first two holes in four over. He didn’t panic and played extraordinary golf to give himself a chance going into the final round. McIlroy came from six behind to win his historic third FedEx Cup. McIlroy has continued his good form since with three consecutive top-five finishes at BMW PGA Championship, Italian Open and Alfred Dunhill Links. We predict his good form will continue as he will finish inside the top five again at this week’s CJ Cup.