Good Monday morning, golf fans, as Rory McIlroy returns to the summit of the sport.

1. PGA Tour: Rory wins, takes top spot in OWGR

BBC report…”Rory McIlroy returned to the top of the world rankings for the first time in more than two years by retaining his CJ Cup title in South Carolina.

• The Northern Irishman claimed a one-shot win at Congaree Golf Club, shooting a four-under-par 67 to finish the tournament on 17 under.

• American Kurt Kitayama also hit 67 on Sunday, and briefly drew level with McIlroy thanks to a birdie at the 12th.

• However McIlroy made three straight birdies of his own to pull clear.

• “It means a lot,” said an emotional McIlroy after claiming his 23rd PGA Tour win.

• “I’ve worked so hard over the past 12 months to get myself back to this place. I feel like I’m enjoying this game as much as I ever have.

• “I absolutely love the game of golf and when I go out there and play with that joy, it has definitely showed over these past 12 months. It feels awesome.”

2. Europe: Yannik Paul takes Mallorca Golf Open

DP World Tour report…“On an afternoon of twists and turns, overnight co-leader Paul had been in the driving seat on the back nine before a two-shot swing at the 15th handed his playing partner Marcus Armitage a two-stroke lead with three holes to play.”

• “But as Armitage dropped three shots over the next two holes, Paul saved par at the 17th to find himself tied for the lead as he made his way to the 18th.”

• “And the German coolly slotted in his difficult 15-foot birdie try from the fringe at the last to deny Paul Waring and Nicolai von Dellingshausen a play-off.”

3. Lydia Ko wins in South Korea

Golf Digest’s Keely Levins…”It’s always special for Lydia Ko to return to South Korea and compete. Though you’ll see the New Zealand flag next to Ko’s name on leaderboards, she was born in Seoul and remains connected to the country. And as much as Ko loves going to South Korea, the fans might love it more: the support for her is enormous. But after nine years of playing professional golf, the 25-year-old had yet to win an LPGA or Korean LPGA event in South Korea. That’s what made Sunday at the BMW Ladies Championship all the more special. With a final-round 65 at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, Ko impressively earned her 18th LPGA Tour win. The next-closest competitor was Andrea Lee who was four shots back, finishing solo second.”

4. Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions

Bob McClellan for PGATour.com…”Steven Alker struck the first blow in pursuit of his first Charles Schwab Cup, coming from two strokes back to start the day to win the PGA TOUR Champions Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond by one stroke over K.J. Choi”

• “Alker, who entered the first event in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs leading the standings, trailed Jerry Kelly, who’s fourth in the race for the Cup, by a stroke before three consecutive birdies starting at 15. Those pushed him to 14-under par to edge a hard-charging Choi, who fired a 5-under 67. Kelly, Padraig Harrington, No. 2 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, and Doug Barron were another shot back at 12 under.”

• “Alker finished with a 68 to Kelly’s even-par 72. Kelly, who began the final round at 12 under, knew it would take a lot better than a round of par to win for the fourth time this season.”

• “Instead, it was Alker who posted his fourth victory of 2022 and solidified his grip on the Schwab Cup.”

5. An ace and a sendoff

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…Na Yeon Choi is going out with a bang — and a new car.

• “The nine-time LPGA winner and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open champion announced her retirement from the LPGA earlier this month. This week’s BMW Ladies Championship in Korea, which Choi is playing on a sponsor’s exemption, will be the 34-year-old’s last event. “

• “In Round 3, Choi gave her fans one last thrill, acing Oak Valley Country Club’s par-3 12th. Thanks to her hole-in-one, the Korean will take home a new BMW X7.”

6. Lynch: Value of future fall seasons on the PGA Tour

Eamon Lynch for Golfweek…”Beginning this season, just 70 players will qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs and secure cards for the new calendar-year season of 2024, down from 125. The rest will join a shootout for ’24 status in the fall events, a Hunger Games-style scrap with a cast that includes up-and-coming talent and recognizable names searching for redemption. Under this new dispensation, the old dead zone from East Lake to New Years has life, and something meaningful at stake: future employment, earned via tournaments and the resurrected Q-School. The fall can finally be welcomed for what it offers rather than dismissed for what it lacks.”

• “That’s not to suggest the game’s best players will sit home for four months while others wrestle for relevancy. Since the PGA Tour backburnered plans for a fourth-quarter series of lucrative events overseas, the DP World Tour can expect more stars to join the race to its year-end bonus pool party in Dubai. Jon Rahm has made clear his desire to keep supporting fall events in Spain and it has been reported that the Irish Open will move to dates after the FedEx Cup playoffs, enabling McIlroy and Shane Lowry to compete at home. Golf fans will probably see more of elite players in the autumn, albeit in different time zones.”

7. ‘Acting easier than golf’

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”She grew up on a golf course in Florida and became a standout player on her high school team.

In 2012, she was all set for a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, according to a 2015 Golf Digest story.

• But Kathryn Newton was also a budding actress and when she scored the leading role in the fourth installment of the “Paranormal Activity” movie franchise, she put away the clubs to chase her acting career.

• Three weeks ago, however, Newton was back on the golf course, at the Old Course at St. Andrews, specifically, to participate in the pro-am ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

• Newton was paired with English golfer Matt Wallace, and the pair finished 118th out of 167 teams.

• “Acting’s way easier than golf,” Newton told CNN’s The Jazzy Golfer, at the event. “I (don’t) say that lightly because I have respect for my acting and my fellow actors. When I see the pros out here today, I feel like they’re magicians or something.”

8. Lowry explains putter break

Our Jason Daniels…”During the first round of the CJ Cup, the 2019 Open champion had just played his approach to around 50 feet when pulled the putter from his bag just too quickly, resulting in a break between graphite and steel.

• Lowry had pulled the club out so rapidly that it fell from his grip and was heading to the floor but, “as it fell, I tried to like flick it up with my foot, but like kind of not too like aggressive or anything, just kind of tried, because the shaft was like this and tried to flick it up with my foot and I caught it like right where the graphite meets the steel on those shafts and it just snapped in half.”

9. McIlroy winning WITB

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Titanium (15 degrees)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li White 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees @17.55)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X

Irons: TaylorMade Rors Proto (3-9)

Shaft: Project X 7.0

Wedges: TaylorMade MG3 Raw (46-09SB, 54-13SB, 58-11SB)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Hydro Blast

Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Pistol GT Tour

Ball: 2021 TaylorMade TP5x (#22)

Grips: Golf Pride MCC