MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Rory McIlroy had no idea how much of a connection to his roots he had lost.

But a missed cut in his home country – where thousands of fans rallied behind an improbable charge toward the weekend – could be the catalyst to the Northern Irishman winning a second FedExCup title.

McIlroy had a disastrous opening round at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, shooting an 8-over 79. But then, he rallied brilliantly on Friday. The 16-time PGA TOUR winner had the fans in raptures as he picked the course apart on the way to a 6-under 65. He received standing ovations walking to greens and in between holes … practically everywhere he went.

The 2016 FedExCup champion says he stopped himself from crying at least four times on the back nine, where he would ultimately finish just a shot shy of playing the weekend.

“Not because of the situation I found myself in (missing the cut), but just because of the support. It sounded like Sunday in terms of trying to win the golf tournament,” McIlroy said.

“At the end of the day I didn't think I meant as much to them, and I realized that they mean more to me than I thought they did. So I think it went both ways, and it was really nice.

“I just sort of had to take a step back and be like, wow… it's such a weird thing to say, but to think about a missed cut being one of the best experiences you ever had on a golf course… I guess there is some sort of silver lining in there.”

It was an eye-opener for the 30-year-old in terms of harnessing emotion for good. He has always felt golf and emotion do not mix well. Now, he knows better.

McIlroy also learned his new approach at the majors – where he tried to treat them like any other week – backfired. He will reassess that in 2020 with a higher intensity.

Before then, the current PLAYERS and RBC Canadian Open champion is energized for a run at a second FedExCup, starting with this week’s World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

“I've tried to take the emotion out of playing golf. I try to think logically and try to be very stoic about the whole thing, but I was emotional on Friday and I was still able to play good golf in spite of that,” he explained.

“So I thought that was a good lesson. Sometimes, a bit of emotion on the course isn't a bad thing. It's just about how you can handle it and resetting in between shots.”

Entering this week at TPC Southwind, McIlroy sits third in the FedExCup standings, but with a personal trip planned next week, he won’t be in the field at the regular season-ending Wyndham Championship.

That means any hope of taking first place, and the $2 million Wyndham Rewards bonus that comes with it, rests on his performance in Memphis.

Sitting just 142 points behind leader Brooks Koepka, McIlroy knows the 550 points on offer for the winner this week could be a game changer. He is mindful of the new format at the TOUR Championship, where the field will be handicapped based on their FedExCup rank.

“Knowing that if I have a good week here or win here, I could theoretically get to No. 1 going into the Playoffs… that's a big goal,” McIlroy said.

“I like the (Playoff) courses. I like Liberty National; great memories from Medinah at the Ryder Cup in 2012, and then I've had some great experience at East Lake, too.

“So it's just about getting as high up in the Playoffs as possible and trying to keep
yourself there. The TOUR Championship this year's going to be a very different… but I would love to tee it up on the first hole on Thursday with a two-shot lead or whatever it's going to be. So, that's the game plan.”