Rory McIlroy has spoken up, and at The Open, his game is doing the talking, too

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Notes and observations from the final round of The RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort’s Seaside Course. LEADING LIGHTS Charles Howell led the entire week at Sea Island Resort, but he still needed a strong finish to earn his third PGA TOUR title. Howell birdied three of his final four holes to tie Patrick Rodgers, then won with a birdie on the second playoff hole. Howell, who started the day with a one-shot lead, converted a 54-hole lead for the first time in his career. He shot 31 on the back nine Sunday to do it. “I thought I had it in me, but I had never seen me do it to prove it to myself,� said Howell, who finished at 19-under 267 (64-64-68-67). “It’s kind of like the guy who thinks he can dunk, bud if you can’t dunk, you just can’t do it. “I thought I had it in me but it took me a bit to actually do it.� This is Howell’s third PGA TOUR win and first since 2007. It came in his 529th start. Only two players needed more starts to reach their third TOUR win. He has 16 runner-up finishes in his career. Howell will start the New Year as the FedExCup leader after winning the RSM and finishing fifth in the CIMB Classic. Howell was already three off the lead when he stood on the third tee. He bogeyed the first hole after driving into a fairway bunker, then made double-bogey with a drive into the hazard right of the second fairway. He thought his chances of winning were over. He started his comeback with birdies at Nos. 5 and 6 to make the turn in 36, then started the back nine with a birdie. Four players — Howell, Rodgers, Webb Simpson and Cameron Champ — shared the lead on the back nine. Rodgers, playing in the third-to-last group, pulled two ahead with birdies on 14 and 15. Howell was able to chase him down, though. It started with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 15th, the day’s easiest hole. Then he holed an 18-footer for birdie on 16 to tie Simpson and Rodgers at 18 under par. Rodgers birdied the 18th hole before Howell hit his 5-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th. “That almost made my putt easier because then I knew, well, you have to make this to have a chance on 18,� Howell said. Howell made that birdie at 17 to tie Rodgers. On 18, Howell dropped to his knees as his 22-foot birdie putt missed by the smallest of margins. He barely missed his 14-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole, as well. One finally went in on the second extra hole. “Golf is a brutal game. The highs of the highs, it comes with a lot of really low lows,� Howell said. “It’s a wonderful lesson to be learned that if you truly believe in what you’re doing, to stay the course.� NOTABLES ON A TEAR Cameron Champ’s impressive fall season concluded with a sixth-place finish at Sea Island. The 23-year-old rookie is now ranked sixth in the FedExCup. His three top-10s are tied with Gary Woodland for most on TOUR. Champ was tied for the lead with nine holes remaining at Sea Island Golf Club, but he could only manage an even-par 35 on the back nine. He reached 17 under par with his birdie on the par-5 15th, but his chances ended with a bogey on the 17th hole. Fourteen of his last 16 rounds have been in the 60s. He’s been in the top 10 after 13 of those rounds. His 117 birdies are the most on TOUR this season and the most ever made in the fall portion of the wraparound schedule. By leading the TOUR in birdies and eagles at the end of the fall, Champ won the Birdies Fore Love competition. He earned $300,000 for charity.  RODGERS’ RUNNER-UP The runner-up was Rodgers’ third in 117 starts. The 26-year-old put up an admirable effort in his quest for his first win. He shot 61-62 on the weekend. His 17-under 123 was the low weekend score by five shots. He shot the day’s low round on both Saturday and Sunday, and almost became the fourth player this decade to win after making the cut on the number. “I fought as hard as I could,� Rodgers said. His round included an 86-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th, the hardest hole of the day. Had he won, it would have been the longest putt ever made by a winner in the ShotLink era. SO CLOSE Webb Simpson was eight shots back at The RSM’s halfway point. He had to get an I.V. before teeing off Friday because of a stomach bug. He still had a 9-foot birdie putt on 18 to make it a three-way tie atop the leaderboard. He barely missed. “It’s a bummer. We read it really well,� Simpson said. SHOT OF THE DAY CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the fourth round of The RSM Classic, listen at PGATOUR.COM. QUOTABLES I can’t wait to go back to my day job.I want to win here. I’ve had some chances. We’ll be back next year. SUPERLATIVES Lowest round: Rodgers’ 62 was the low round of the day by one shot. Peter Uihlein shot a 63 to finish seventh. Longest putt: Rodgers’ 86-footer for birdie on No. 12 was the longest made putt this week by 26 feet. Longest drive: Uihlein hit the three longest drives of the day. He hit 332-yard tee shots on the eighth and 16th holes and a 331-yard drive on the 18th hole. Hardest hole: The par-3 12th hole played to a 3.06 scoring average. Rodgers’ birdie was one of just six on the 223-yard hole Sunday. Easiest hole: The 541-yard, par-5 15th hole played to a 4.1 average on Sunday. The hole yielded 53 birdies and nine eagles.

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Every winter since 1968 the PGA TOUR has been hosted by the famed Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, California, and this year, thankfully, isn’t any different. The famed South Course will serve as annual host and will also be the venue for this season’s U.S. Open in June. Before we put the cart in front of that horse, for the second week in a row a field of 156 will navigate two courses in Rounds 1 and 2 before moving to the South Course for the final two rounds. This familiar piece of real estate has produced elite leaderboards and that shouldn’t change this week with a deep field. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | The First Look The South Course and its undulating Poa annua greens add even more bite than the distance tee to green. It’s hardly a surprise why the USGA will return here to host its national championship again. Both courses have three inches of over-seeded (Rye) Kikuyugrass, as normal, this time of year. Tom Weiskopf’s North Course redesign made its debut in 2017. With friendly bentgrass greens and four Par-5 holes, it plays the easier of the two annually. At just 7,258 yards it will play 507 yards less than the South and with less tallying on the scorecard. The 69th edition of the Farmers Insurance Open will pay out a handsome $7.5 million purse with the winner pocketing $1.35 million and 500 FedExCup points for posting the low four rounds. It never rains in Southern California, but there is Marine Layer, blustery winds and cool temperatures that will have a say before a winner is crowned, hopefully on schedule Sunday. Hold all tickets to the end as just two winners in the last decade held the 54-hole lead and only three this century not named Tiger Woods. Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners and Notables 2020: Marc Leishman (-15, 273) Shot 65 on Australia Day to make up four shots and win by one over 2017 champ Jon Rahm. … 65 was the co-low of the week on the South Course. … Posted 11-under on the weekend. … Becomes the fourth consecutive international winner, but just fifth overall in 68 events. … At 35 he joins the club of 30 and older winners in four of the last five events. … Second straight winner to open on the North Course, but just the third since 2010. … Hit only 3 of 14 fairways in the final round, but found 14 of 18 GIR. … One of only 19 rounds in the 60s on Sunday. … Won in his 12th start (10 made cuts). … Entered the week on a personal streak of five straight paydays including a pair of top 10s. Notables: 54-hole leader Jon Rahm (2nd) posted 65, co-low of the week on the South, on Saturday but 70 on Sunday left him one short. … Rory McIlroy (T3) was just one of four players to post both weekend rounds in the 60s (67-69). … 2016 and 2012 winner Brandt Snedeker (T3) picks up another podium, his sixth and sits No. 2 on the all-time money list. … Tom Hoge (5th) closed with 67-68 for his best finish at FIO. … Tony Finau (T6) and Patrick Reed (T6) were the only two post all four rounds 70 or better. … 2011 winner Bubba Watson (T6) played for the first time since 2014. … San Diegan Charley Hoffman (T9) also posted 65 on Sunday. … Ryan Palmer (T21) posted 62 at the North Course and led after 36 holes. … Cameron Davis (T38) posted 65, the second lowest on the North. … Sebastian Cappelen (T21) opened with 66 on the South Course and shared the first round lead. … Only 20 bogey-free rounds for the week. … Cut was 1-under. … Rough was a bushy four inches. … The North Course played almost two shots easier, 70.57 to 72.53. 2019: Justin Rose (-21, 267) Picked up his 10th TOUR win in the easiest conditions at the event since 2001. … Set the 36-hole (-15) and 54-hole (-18) tournament records. … Missed tying the tournament record by a shot. … Became the first winner to play the North Course in Round 1 (63) since 2010. … Played the South Course 12-under. … Third consecutive top 10 at event. … Won in his ninth try. … Closed 2018 on fire and knocked the rust off at The American Express (T34) the week prior. Notables: Adam Scott (2nd) picked the right season for a debut. … Talor Gooch (T3) was the only American in the top seven. … Hideki Matsuyama (T3) posted the only round above par in the top 12 with 73 on Saturday. … Defending champion Jason Day (T5) was seven back. … Rory McIlroy (T5) posted the lowest round on the North Course (65) in Round 2 in his debut. … 2017 winner Jon Rahm (T5) opened with 62 on the North Course to lead after 18, but also posted two rounds of 72 on the South. … Billy Horschel (8th) picked up his second top 10 in four years. … Only Scott played the weekend better than Gary Woodland (T9). … Only one bogey free round on the weekend. … Cut was 3-under. … Scoring average on the South was under par at 71.73. … Weather was perfect. 2018: Jason Day (-10, 278) Defeated Alex Noren and Ryan Palmer (first to be eliminated) in a six-hole playoff for his second victory at Torrey Pines. … Won a four-man playoff in 2015. … As is usual for the winner here, he trailed by three heading into the final round. … Posted one of the 11 rounds (70) in the red on Sunday. … Posted 64 in Round 2 on the North. … Joined the group of recent winners who made hay (T1) on Par-4 holes. … Two wins in nine visits to this point. … T16 in 2020 is his worst payday in his last nine trips. Notables: Noren led by one after 54 holes. … Palmer was paired in the final group and led thru 36 holes. … JB Holmes (4th) posted the round of the week with 65 on Saturday. … Keegan Bradley (5th) backed up his T4 from 2017. … Tony Finau (T6) opened with 65 on the North to lead after 18 and was 9-under after 36. … Charles Howell III (T6) has never missed the cut here and posted 69 on Sunday, the co-low round of the day. … Harris English (T8) picked up his second top 10 in four starts. … Marc Leishman (T8) raked his fourth top 10 in 10 starts. … The light for Justin Rose (T8) finally turned on. … Defending champ Jon Rahm (T29) was one back after 36 holes. … Gary Woodland (T12) 66 on Saturday was only bested by Holmes. … Hideki Matsuyama (T12) closed with 69, tying Howell for the low round Sunday. … Third highest Sunday scoring (74.78) since 2000. Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Top 10 finish here since 2016 ** – Previous Champion Strokes-Gained: Tee to Green 2 *Hideki Matsuayama 3 *Jon Rahm 6 *Rory McIlroy 7 Xander Schauffele 8 Harold Varner III 10 Scottie Scheffler 11 *Tony Finau 16 Corey Conners 18 *Harris English 20 Viktor Hovland 22 Luke List 24 Emiliano Grillo 25 Cameron Tringale 26 *Patrick Reed 29 *Ryan Palmer Par-4 Scoring 4 Xander Schauffele 6 *Jon Rahm 6 *Patrick Reed 6 Scottie Scheffler 10 *Harris English 10 *Rory McIlroy 10 *Brandt Snedeker 14 Doc Redman 14 Cameron Tringale 14 *Hideki Matsuyama 14 *Tony Finau 14 Ryan Moore 21 Cameron Percy 21 *Harry Higgs 21 **Scott Stallings 21 *Joel Dahmen 21 **Kyle Stanley 21 Sungjae Im 21 Henrik Norlander 21 *Adam Scott 21 *Bubba Watson Bogey Avoidance 2 *Jon Rahm 3 *Harris English 4 Xander Schauffele 9 Cameron Tringale 11 Russell Knox 20 Adam Schenk 21 *Hideki Matsuyama 22 *Pat Perez 24 *Adam Scott 25 Matthew NeSmith 26 *Brandt Snedeker Horses for Courses

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The PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open shifts to a Wednesday-Saturday schedule this week. Here’s how to watch on ESPN+.

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