McIlroy fires final-round 61 to win Canadian Open by 7 shots

Rory McIlroy ran away from the field with a remarkable 9-under 61 in the final round of the Canadian Open to win by seven shots.

The Northern Irishman, who received a lot of love from Canadian fans with his ongoing support of the Toronto Raptors, entered the day in a three-way tie for the lead but pulled away with four birdies in his first five holes.

He made the turn at 5-under par at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, which gave him a four-shot edge. McIlroy refused to take his foot off the gas, pouring in four straight birdies from Nos. 11-14 to bring the potential of shooting 59 into play.

McIlroy bogeyed No. 16 but made a remarkable eagle on the 17th to keep the hopes of 59 alive. He bogeyed the final hole but still finished the tournament at an astonishing 22-under par.

The 30-year-old's victory in his Canadian Open debut marks the 16th of his career. It's McIlroy's second win this season after claiming The Players Championship in March.

He becomes the fourth player since 1935 to win the Canadian Open, U.S. Open, and Open Championship - the three oldest tournaments on the PGA Tour that make up the Triple Crown - joining Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Lee Trevino.

Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson finished in a tie for second at 15-under. Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker finished nine shots behind McIlroy to round out the top five.

Adam Hadwin took home top Canadian honors, finishing alone in sixth at 12-under. No Canuck has won the country's national tournament since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Here's how the top of the leaderboard ended up: