section_path: Professional career/2018–2019: First Players Championship title, second FedEx Cup
section_name: 2018–2019: First Players Championship title, second FedEx Cup
paragraph_text: 2018–2019: First Players Championship title, second FedEx Cup
  
  McIlroy returned after over 100 days away from professional competition at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January 2018. Prior to the tournament, he said he had been diagnosed with a slight heart irregularity but downplayed its impact on his golf. The following week, McIlroy finished runner-up to Li Haotong in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He lost by one stroke, having led by two with five holes to play. It was the 22nd runner-up finish of his career. In March 2018, McIlroy won the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a final-round 64, his first win since the 2016 Tour Championship.
  
  At the 2018 Masters Tournament, which was his tenth Masters start, McIlroy was in the final pairing on Sunday alongside Patrick Reed, three strokes off the lead. McIlroy shot a two-over 74 to finish in a tie for fifth, six strokes behind the winner, Reed. McIlroy was also in contention at the 2018 Open Championship, where he finished runner-up, two strokes behind Francesco Molinari. In September 2018, McIlroy competed in the 2018 Ryder Cup. He went 2–3–0, including a loss in the Sunday singles to Justin Thomas, as Team Europe beat Team USA 17.5–10.5 to reclaim the Ryder Cup.
  
  McIlroy started 2019 on the PGA Tour in good form with five straight top-6 finishes, including a runner-up finish in February at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship, five strokes behind Dustin Johnson. McIlroy subsequently won the 2019 Players Championship in March with a score of −16. With the win, he joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win four majors and 15 PGA Tour titles before the age of 30.
  
  In June 2019, McIlroy won the RBC Canadian Open. He shot a final-round 61 to win the tournament by seven strokes and became the sixth golfer to win the career Triple Crown (the PGA Tour's three oldest events being the Open Championship, the U.S. Open and the Canadian Open). Two months later, McIlroy clinched his second FedEx Cup title by winning the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. The winning payout was $15 million, the largest in golf history. He became the second player to win multiple FedEx Cups, after Tiger Woods (2007, 2009).
  
  In November 2019, McIlroy won the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in a playoff against Xander Schauffele in Shanghai, China. The following month, McIlroy stated that he turned down an invitation to the European Tour's Saudi International tournament in Riyadh, stating that it is "not something that would excite me" and "there's a morality to it as well", in reference to Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
  
  McIlroy returned after over 100 days away from professional competition at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January 2018. Prior to the tournament, he said he had been diagnosed with a slight heart irregularity but downplayed its impact on his golf. The following week, McIlroy finished runner-up to Li Haotong in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He lost by one stroke, having led by two with five holes to play. It was the 22nd runner-up finish of his career. In March 2018, McIlroy won the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a final-round 64, his first win since the 2016 Tour Championship.
  
  At the 2018 Masters Tournament, which was his tenth Masters start, McIlroy was in the final pairing on Sunday alongside Patrick Reed, three strokes off the lead. McIlroy shot a two-over 74 to finish in a tie for fifth, six strokes behind the winner, Reed. McIlroy was also in contention at the 2018 Open Championship, where he finished runner-up, two strokes behind Francesco Molinari. In September 2018, McIlroy competed in the 2018 Ryder Cup. He went 2–3–0, including a loss in the Sunday singles to Justin Thomas, as Team Europe beat Team USA 17.5–10.5 to reclaim the Ryder Cup.
  
  McIlroy started 2019 on the PGA Tour in good form with five straight top-6 finishes, including a runner-up finish in February at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship, five strokes behind Dustin Johnson. McIlroy subsequently won the 2019 Players Championship in March with a score of −16. With the win, he joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win four majors and 15 PGA Tour titles before the age of 30.
  
  In June 2019, McIlroy won the RBC Canadian Open. He shot a final-round 61 to win the tournament by seven strokes and became the sixth golfer to win the career Triple Crown (the PGA Tour's three oldest events being the Open Championship, the U.S. Open and the Canadian Open). Two months later, McIlroy clinched his second FedEx Cup title by winning the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. The winning payout was $15 million, the largest in golf history. He became the second player to win multiple FedEx Cups, after Tiger Woods (2007, 2009).
  
  In November 2019, McIlroy won the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in a playoff against Xander Schauffele in Shanghai, China. The following month, McIlroy stated that he turned down an invitation to the European Tour's Saudi International tournament in Riyadh, stating that it is "not something that would excite me" and "there's a morality to it as well", in reference to Saudi Arabia's human rights record.