Deutsche Bank Championship Recap: McIlroy Rallies for the Win

Now what?

Big 3? Big 4?

Who knows?

But here's what we do know: Big Rory McIlroy. Again.

McIlroy won on the PGA Tour for the first time in some 16 months on Monday, rallying from six strokes back to win the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

McIlroy's re-emergence throws into question not only who the best golfer in the world is, but also who will win the FedEx Cup playoffs and who will be the PGA's Player of the Year.

The Northern Irishman had seen his perch atop the golf world slowly and agonizingly fall … drip … drip … drip … from No. 1 last year … to No. 2 … to No. 3 … and all the way to No. 5 (which, as any mathematician will tell you, is clearly not in the Big 4) before making a massive statement that he is back.

After first Jordan Spieth and then Jason Day crept onto McIlroy's turf to create golf's Big 3, everyone had their own thoughts on who was truly best. The McIlroy contingent hung their hats on this: When all three were playing their best, McIlroy's best was the best of them all. That's because he's the longest, straightest driver in all the land. The only thing in question was his putting.

McIlroy had fumbled on the greens all year, to the point that he recently switched putters (Scotty Cameron Newport M1 mallet prototype) and putting coaches (from putting guru Dave Stockton to England's Phil Kenyon). Last week at Bethpage Black, he lost a 1.4 strokes gained: putting. So much for the changes.

Well, at TPC Boston, he gained 1.325, which was seventh in the field. McIlroy entered the week 130th on tour in SGP; he's now zoomed up to 93rd. He was also first in Putting Average (1.604), which is the average number of putts per green in regulation, a statistic we at Rotowire really like. As PGATour.com says: "By using greens hit in regulation, we are able to eliminate the effects of chipping close and one-putting in the computation."

When you add quality putting with someone who is first on tour in strokes gained: off the tee and second in strokes gained: tee to green, watch out. McIlroy was first in driving distance at Boston, at 312.9 yards. Again, you don't need a mathematician to figure out those numbers.

So if McIlroy has figured out the one weakness his game, and it appears he has, can a return to No. 1 be far behind? This win immediately moves him to No. 3 in the OWGR, still behind Day but very close to No. 2 Dustin Johnson, and now ahead of Spieth, who has drip … drip … dripped his way to No. 4.

Back in 2012, McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank and then the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick, where it the tournament returns this year beginning on Thursday. After that, all that's left to the season is the 30-man Tour Championship before the FedEx Cup champion is determined. If McIlroy could repeat in the BMW, he could become the season-long points winner even without a win at East Lake – just as he was in '12.

Would that be enough for Player of the Year? Seems dicey. On the other hand, who else deserves it?

One final thought on McIlroy figuring out his putter: Good luck to the United States in the Ryder Cup.

TUESDAY BACKSPIN

Paul Casey

Casey owners/backers may choose to think he blew the tournament, after taking a three-stroke lead into the final round. Which is fine. But finishing second in a playoff event to ensure a berth in the Tour Championship has to be viewed as a success. Casey has always been a nice player, but he's won only once in 194 starts, at the 2009 Shell Houston Open. He's earned $16 million just on the PGA Tour. If at the beginning of the week you put the Englishman in your DK lineup, you got your money's worth. Not $16 million, but still.

Jimmy Walker

Besides Walker, no one could be happier with his third-place showing than Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III. Sure, Walker recently won the PGA Championship to lock up an automatic berth in the biennial tournament. But he had done very little before or missed two cuts afterward. This was Walker's best showing ever in a playoff event, though he did have another top-10 at the Deutsche Bank. Hard to envision a top-10 in either of the next two tournaments, though.

Zach Johnson

Johnson also is an automatic qualifier for the Ryder Cup. But his season is not peaking. He was 57th at TPC Boston and is 56th in the point standings, in jeopardy of missing the Tour Championship. Johnson hasn't been this low in the FedEx Cup race since 2008. The good news is, he's been great over the years at the BMW, with a win in 2011 among four other top-15s. The one year previously that it was at Crooked Stick, in 2012, he tied for 12th. Despite his poor form, Johnson should be a lineup consideration this week.

Phil Mickelson

Oh, Phil. Mickelson played himself out of the tournament, and the weekend, with a quadruple snowman at the sixth hole in the first round. He tried twice to whack out of some thick stuff, when not even a machete would have worked, before taking a drop. Mickelson missed the cut but will still safely make it to East Lake. He tied for second at the BMW in 2012, so there's that. As always with Mickelson, proceed at your own risk.

Danny Lee

Last year, Lee had a win, a runner-up and two thirds in cashing nearly $4 million. One of the second-place showings was at the Tour Championship. It was a brilliant breakthrough season for the New Zealander. His 2016 season ended on Saturday, when he missed the cut at TPC Boston. He had only two top-10s and finished 92nd in the point standings. Which is the real Lee? Probably not the 2015 version. But maybe the 2016 version.

Bubba Watson

Watson had made every cut in his 16 starts this season – until the Deutsche Bank. And just like that, he's in danger of missing the Tour Championship. Watson sits 27th in points, meaning he could be overtaken for the top-30 to reach East Lake. The chances of that happening are slim, but it highlights that Watson hasn't played well this season. He won in L.A. in February and the following week he was second at the WGC-Cadillac. He hasn't had a top-10 since. The good news for Watson backers? He tied for 12th with Johnson at the BMW back in 2012. He'll need something special if he wants to be one of Love's Ryder Cup captain's picks, three of which will be announced on Monday.

Matt Kuchar

In another stunner, Kuchar is in even a more precarious situation than Watson at 28th in points. He tied for 46th at the Deutsche Bank to drop from 23rd in the FedEx Cup standings. Kuchar hasn't won this year, but he does have three thirds and nine top-10s. Hard to believe he's on the bubble. Unlike Watson, Kuchar doesn't have a strong BMW/Crooked Stick resume on which to fall back, finishing T54 in 2012.

Jim Furyk

Regardless of the wrist injury that cost Furyk much of the season, it was a bit of a stunner that he didn't reach the BMW. He traditionally excelled at TPC Boston but he faded on the weekend, tying for 57th place to drop from 84th in points to 86th. It also places in jeopardy his chances of being a Ryder Cup captain's pick.

Patrick Rodgers

Rodgers has now played the better part of two seasons, long enough for the former Stanford star to make a dent. He hasn't. He tied for 46th at the Deutsche Bank, moving only from 76th to 74th in the point standings. He's made more than $1 million each of the last two years, and maybe that's part of the problem. Hard to consider yourself a failure making that kind of coin. But for gamers, going forward it's got to be a wait-and-see approach with Rodgers. (Of course, we'll now be waiting till next season.) Hard to get on board without seeing results.