The Loop
Watch Rory McIlroy hole out for a clutch eagle, give a $10 million reaction
When the PGA Tour switched East Lake's nines ahead of this week's Tour Championship, most people focused on the event now finishing with a par 5 instead of a par 3. But the decision also made a dramatic shift in the closing stretch of holes. And drama is exactly what those holes produced on Sunday.
The most exciting moment of the final round happened on the par-4 16th, which used to be No. 7. Needing to make a birdie for both his tournament and FedEx Cup chances, Rory McIlroy did one better. Check it out:
The clutch hole out for eagle got McIlroy to within one shot of the lead.
"I've never seen Rory get that pumped up," NBC's Johnny Miller said. "He's got four majors and I've never seen a reaction like that from him."
Then again, Rory had never been that close to winning a $10 million bonus. McIlroy birdied the 18th hole and beat Ryan Moore with another birdie on the fourth playoff hole to claim the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup, and golf's biggest check. After his $11.53 million haul on Sunday, chances are McIlroy's not done celebrating just yet.