Cut prediction: THE NORTHERN TRUST

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FITZPATRICK EARNS MAIDEN U.S. WIN IN MAJOR WAY Matt Fitzpatrick said he felt like he had a monkey on his back. The 27-year-old from England had never won on the PGA TOUR, though he had seven wins on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and has played in the Ryder Cup. Something felt different coming into this week, however. The U.S. Open was at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and that’s where he won the U.S. Amateur in 2013. So with his comfort level and confidence at all-time highs, Fitzpatrick pulled out a dramatic major victory with a one-shot win over Will Zalatoris and FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler. “No words,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s what you grow up dreaming of. It’s something I’ve worked so hard for and for such a long time. There was a big monkey on my back trying to win over here and all they ever talked about was that. And now to do it as a major for my first win, there’s nothing better.” His signature shot came on the 72nd hole. He hit 3-wood off the tee, but pulled it left into a fairway bunker. From 156 yards, he blistered an iron onto the green and two-putted from 18 feet for par. “It’s one of the best shots I’ve ever hit,” Fitzpatrick said. “There’s no doubt about it.” When Zalatoris’ birdie try barely missed from 15 feet, Fitzpatrick was a major champion. Fitzpatrick earned $3.15 million and 600 FedExCup points to move up to No. 10 in the FedExCup standings. TRAVELING TO TPC RIVER HIGHLANDS Five of the top seven in the FedExCup standings are scheduled to tee it up at the Travelers Championship, led by No.1 Scottie Scheffler. Sam Burns, ranked second in the FedExCup, is also set to compete. Others making their way to Connecticut include 2022 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas, last season’s FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay and RBC Canadian Open winner Rory McIlroy, who is playing his fourth week in a row on TOUR. Jordan Spieth, who won the 2017 Travelers in incredible fashion, will also make the short trip from The Country Club. Harris English returns to defend his title, which he won in an eight-hole playoff over Kramer Hickok, after recovering from hip surgery. TPC River Highlands is one of the TOUR’s shortest courses and tends to yield low scores, but it still presents a tricky challenge to the game’s best. This marks the 70th anniversary of the Travelers Championship. The key stretch comes as competitors traverse Nos. 15-17, where a four-acre lake comes into play. The winner will receive 500 FedExCup points. VIDEO OF THE WEEK Matt Fitzpatrick shot a 2-under 68 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open to finish at 6 under and claim his first major title. MIC CHECK “I had so much patience today. I said to (caddie) Billy (Foster) if I could hit 18 greens today, I’d like to think I have a good chance.” – U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who hit a remarkable 17 of 18 greens on Sunday. BY THE NUMBERS 2 – Men who have won a U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open at the same site. They are Jack Nicklaus (Pebble Beach: 1961, 1972) and Matt Fitzpatrick (The Country Club: 2013, 2022). 58 – Jim Furyk’s score at TPC River Highlands during the 2016 Travelers Championship. It still stands as the lowest round in PGA TOUR history. 5 – Norman Xiong’s winning margin in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics after Monday qualifying for the event. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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RIDGELAND, S.C. — Rory McIlroy capped off his steady march back to No. 1 in the world on Sunday with an explosive burst of three birdies late in the round to hold off Kurt Kitayama and win THE CJ CUP in South Carolina. Tied with Kitayama with five holes to go at Congaree, McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champion, ran off three straight birdies to seize control and finished with two bogeys, hardly enough to ruin the moment. He closed with a 4-under 67 for a one-shot victory. McIlroy, who finished at 17-under 267, won for the 23rd time on the PGA TOUR and 31st time worldwide. It was his ninth time reaching No. 1 in the world, behind only Tiger Woods and Greg Norman (both 11) in getting to the top of the ranking the most times. This was no less special, and it showed when McIlroy’s voice choked ever so slightly with emotion after he won. “I’ve worked so hard over the last 12 months to get back to this place,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I’m enjoying the game as much as I ever have. I played with that joy and it’s definitely showed over these last few months. “It’s a big achievement. I’m really proud of myself right now.” This felt like a long time coming. He won THE CJ CUP for the second straight time. The South Korea-based tournament was held in Las Vegas last year, when McIlroy was No. 14 in the world. So began his climb back to No. 1, with victories in the RBC Canadian Open and the TOUR Championship to capture the FedExCup, and with help from Scottie Scheffler cooling from his torrid stretch through the Masters. McIlroy was No. 1 when golf shut down for three months at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he lost the ranking to Jon Rahm when the Spaniard won the Memorial Tournament in the middle of July in 2020. Scheffler finished in the middle of the pack at Congaree, meaning McIlroy could have been runner-up and still reclaimed the No. 1 ranking. He wanted the trophy, and it was harder work than he imagined. McIlroy was staked to a one-shot lead going into the final round and never trailed, though he didn’t have it easy until he walked toward the 18th green. Rahm, coming off a win at the Spanish Open, tied him on three occasions early while playing in the group in front of him. Rahm was still in the mix until his tee shot on the long par-3 14th caught a plugged lie in the face of the bunker, leading to bogey. He wound up with 69 to tie for fourth. The real threat was Kitayama, three times a winner while playing in Asia and Europe. The 29-year-old Californian overcame an early two-shot deficit and was tied for the lead until McIlroy took over with a 15-foot birdie on the 14th. On the 348-yard 15th, Kitayama drove the green to 45 feet and McIlroy was in a bunker. McIlroy blasted out to 5 feet and converted the birdie, while Kitayama ran his putt 6 feet by the cup and missed it coming back to settle for par. McIlroy effectively sealed it with a 20-foot birdie on the 16th, although there was a nervous moment at the end. With a two-shot lead on the final hole, McIlroy gunned his long birdie putt some 8 feet by and Kitayama had just outside 20 feet for birdie. Both missed, and McIlroy had a smile of satisfaction and relief. Kitayama played bogey-free and closed with a 67 for his third runner-up since joining the PGA TOUR last year, behind McIlroy, Xander Schauffele in Scotland and Rahm in Mexico. He made $1,134,000. “That’s a tough group of guys to beat,” Kitayama said. “I just have to keep improving.” K.H. Lee had a 68 and finished third, with Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood (65) another shot behind.

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