Rory McIlroy reflects on 2016 'very meaningful' FedEx Cup with East Lake glory bid back on agenda
Rory McIlroy had already celebrated four majors before 2016 delivered a first in his record-breaking haul of three FedEx Cup titles.
That September birdie on the fourth play-off hole to finally see off Ryan Moore – having also had a post-regulation challenge from Kevin Chappell – still stands as “very meaningful” in McIlroy’s storied career as he mounts the latest East Lake bid for glory.
Ahead of Thursday’s first round, McIlroy put into context the value of his FedEx Cup standalone status since the 2007 introduction as he reflected on that track record during a press conference before the Tour Championship tournament start in Atlanta which will settle the 2026 champion.
“I would say I had a really good chance to win in 2012 and I didn't win, I had a really good chance to win in 2014 and didn't win...2016 was very meaningful for me – because I hadn't,” said McIlroy, who also won the FedEx Cup in 2019 and 2022. “It was something that I hadn't accomplished in the game.
"And, yeah, I didn't have the best year in 2016 in terms of other guys had bigger years, whether it was Jason Day or Jordan (Spieth) or DJ (Dustin Johnson) or whoever it was at the time. But that meant a lot to me.
"Then in '19, Brooks (Koepka) was the best player in the world at that point...we played in the final twosome together and I was able to go out and beat him in that, which was a big deal for me at the time as well.
“Then again in '22, I was up against Scottie (Scheffler) in that final group and overcame like a six-shot deficit or whatever it was. They've all been meaningful in their own ways.
"But, yeah, you could argue that each of the FedEx Cups I've won I maybe wasn't the best player of the entire year, but I always felt like it was a way to redeem myself or end the year on a really positive note.”
McIlroy was third in last week’s BWM Championship, having registered third bottom previously across the St Jude Championship as the first of the three play-off events to help settle the FedEx Cup and title of PGA Tour overall champion. Every player in the 30-man Tour Championship stroke play field starts on level terms in pursuit of securing the 10million US dollars prize on Sunday.
Also, the KPMG Women’s Irish Open field this week features Northern Ireland’s Beth Coulter (Dundonald), Olivia Mehaffey (Scarva), Annabel Wilson (Lurgan) and amateur Katie Poots (Belfast).