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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Golf roundup: Rory McIlroy wins and returns to No. 1

McIlroy
Associated Press

From the links of Britain to the parkland of America, Rory McIlroy is on top of the world again.

In his first start since a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, McIlroy overcame a three-shot deficit to win the Bridgestone Invitational and return to No. 1 in the world.

“It feels like a long time since I lost that No. 1 spot, but it feels good to be back on top,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully, I can keep it for a while.”

In his first start since a wire-to-wire win in the British Open, McIlroy picked up his first World Golf Championship title at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. And just like Royal Liverpool, the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland made it look easy.

Sergio Garcia had a three-shot lead going into the final round. McIlroy opened with three straight birdies to take a one-shot lead. He never trailed the rest of the way, taking the lead for good with an 8-foot birdie on the 11th hole. He finished with a 15-under 265, while Garcia was two shots back.

Marc Leishman was third at 12 under, while Charl Schwartzel, Keegan Bradley and Patrick Reed tied for fourth at 9 under.

PGA Tour

Geoff Ogilvy won the Barracuda Championship for his eighth PGA Tour title and first since 2010, scoring five points with an eagle on the par-5 13th and pulling away for a five-point victory in the modified Stableford event in Reno, Nevada.

Players receive eight points for double eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, minus-one for bogey and minus-three for double bogey or worse.

Justin Hicks was second at 44 points after an 18-point day.

John Huh and Jonathan Byrd tied for third at 37. They each had 11-point rounds.

Champions Tour

Kenny Perry scrambled for a birdie on the 18th hole to beat hard-charging Bernhard Langer by a stroke in the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship.

Perry closed with a 7-under 65 for his second victory of the year and seventh overall on the 50-and-over tour. He finished at 23-under 193 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.

Langer, the Senior British Open winner last week by a tour-record 13 shots, shot 63. He overcame a four-shot deficit on the back nine and was tied with Perry going to the par-5 18th.

Jeff Maggert, Gene Sauers and Marco Dawson tied for third at 20 under. Maggert and Sauers shot 65, and Dawson had a 67.

PGA Canada

Clarkston’s Joel Dahmen shot an 8-under 65 to tie for second at 23 under at the ATB Financial Classic in Calgary, Alberta. Brock Mackenzie, from Yakima, won the event at 27 under.