ORLANDO, Fla. -- Before his Sunday triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rory McIlroy's last PGA Tour victory happened at the 2016 Tour Championship, exactly 539 days earlier. He hit some tremendous shots that day, winning both the tournament and the FedEx Cup all at once. As soon as he finished his post-round press conference, with both trophies gleaming on the table in front of him, McIlroy leaned in as a tournament official whispered in his ear. The celebration immediately turned somber.
Arnold Palmer had just died.
The man who'd meant so much to so many people, the man who'd spent time with McIlroy and befriended him not long before then.