Rory McIlroy disappointed not to shoot 59 on final day of Canadian Open win

Rory McIlroy says he was disappointed not to shoot a final-round 59 on his way to winning the Canadian Open.

A birdie at the 18th hole would have given him a round of 59 but he bogeyed after finding a greenside bunker.

“I had a chance to shoot 59 – I'm sorry for being disappointed,” McIlroy quipped after his seven-shot victory.

“By the time I got to the 14th tee I wasn't thinking about winning the tournament. I was thinking about shooting 59,” he added.

“I had to reassess my goals a little bit in the middle of that back nine. I played 17 wonderful holes, was 10 under for 17 holes and I shot four under on the back nine with two bogeys so that was pretty good too,” continued the four-time major winner.

‘Comfortable with my game'

The Northern Irishman trailed by five shots going into the final two rounds but a 64 on Saturday, followed by 61 on Sunday, saw him finish on 22 under par, seven clear of Webb Simpson and Shane Lowry.

His 16th PGA Tour success sees him move up to number three in the world rankings and second in the FedEx Cup rankings.

“I saw some good signs in my play over the first couple of days and played nicely to get myself into a position to challenge there or thereabouts.

“On Saturday I felt really comfortable with my game and played aggressively. I was swinging very freely and shot that 64 to get tied for the lead. I was proud that I still played with that freedom when I went out on Sunday.

“I was just putting my foot down and really making this tournament mine. I've found a little groove and I want to keep it going.”

US Open title the main target

After missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament the previous week, McIlroy is happy to have recaptured the form which may help repeat his 2011 US Open triumph this week at Pebble Beach.

“The margins are so small. I try never to get too carried away when I'm playing well and not too carried away when I'm playing badly.

“Overall my consistency has been good. I've been in the top 10 most of the weeks I have played.”

The 30-year-old also won the Players Championship in March but has not won a major since the 2014 US PGA Championship.

“This is what I feel I can do – I've been able to do it before and it's nice to get back to that feeling. It's been a while since I won by a few shots, going back to Quail Hollow in 2015 where I won by seven.

“If I get myself into the right place I'll hopefully be able to do it more often and produce the sort of golf I produced over the weekend.

“I think I play my best when I play in stretches of golf and the way I won this tournament gives me a lot of confidence going forward.

“I played last week, then this week, and the US Open will be my third in a row. Part of the reason for my playing here was to try and get my game in good shape for Pebble Beach but it doesn't mean this win isn't very significant.”