McIlroy birdies 72nd hole to win Scottish Open over MacIntyre

Rory McIlroy birdied the final hole Sunday to win the Scottish Open by one shot over Robert MacIntyre at 15-under.

MacIntyre posted an impressive 64 in treacherous winds and held the clubhouse lead before McIlroy birdied three of the final five holes for a 68.

McIlroy set up the victory - his second of the season and 24th of his career - by stuffing an incredible 2-iron to approximately 10 feet despite a stiff breeze. He called it one of the best shots of his season in his post-round interview.

"When you hit a shot like that, I feel like I deserved to hole the putt to finish it off like that," McIlroy said, per The Associated Press.

McIlroy held the 36- and 54-hole leads over the weekend but put himself in a hole with a front-nine 37 on Sunday. He led the field over the duration of the tournament in strokes gained: tee to green and secured the victory despite ranking 34th in putting.

"That was such a tough day - so tough", he said. "To play that back nine in 4-under par to win the tournament, I'm really proud of how I stuck in there. I hit some amazing shots down the stretch. It feels incredible. It's been a long six months, I feel, since I won in Dubai. I've given myself tons of chances, and hopefully, this win breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week."

McIlroy is now the first player to ever win the Scottish Open, Irish Open, and Open Championship. This year's Open Championship is scheduled for next week at Royal Liverpool, where McIlroy won in 2014.

MacIntyre, a Scotland native, said his experience Sunday was unforgettable even though he came up short.

"I'll never forget it. I had to take a minute coming off 18," he said. "If not The Open, the Scottish Open will be up there with the event I want to play for the rest of my life. It's one I've dreamed of winning since I watched at home. … Coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, 'This might be the one.' But it's not to be just now.

"Rory McIlroy's potentially the best in the world, and he showed why today."

David Lingmerth, Byeong Hun An, and Scottie Scheffler rounded out the top five at 10-under. Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Kim played with McIlroy in the final group but fell out of contention with 2-over and 3-over rounds, respectively.