HAMILTON, ONTARIO - JUNE 09: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses for a photo with the trophy after winning the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on June 09, 2019 in Hamilton, Canada. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

MCILROY CAPTURES CANADIAN OPEN WITH FINAL ROUND 61

Rory McIlroy returned to his sizzling best form when shooting a final round of 61 on Sunday to win the RBC Canadian Open by seven shots.

The Northern Irishman blitzed the field to finish on 22-under par for the tournament, which was held at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ontario.

The Northern Irishman broke the tournament record by five shots to claim his 16th PGA Tour title, with the resurgent Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson finishing tied for second.

“Obviously this is a huge tournament to win, and I’m very proud of myself,” said McIlroy, who will head to the US Open at Pebble Beach in confident mood. I’m going to take a lot from this and I’m excited for next week. I said from the start I wanted to be aggressive. I played with so much freedom yesterday and I just wanted to keep that going today. Tied for the lead going out and playing with that freedom, it gives me so much confidence.”

It was a good day all round for Northern Ireland golfers, as Graeme McDowell finally secured his spot at the Open Championship. Needing to finish in the top ten to qualify for the season’s final major, he finished tied eighth alongside Danny Willett and Henrik Stenson, and can now look forward to teeing it up at Portrush, his home town, next month.