Even Rory McIlroy was surprised when he beat the world No. 1 player, Scottie Scheffler, in the FedEx Cup on Sunday – and he made that known to Scheffler’s parents after all was said and done.

“I’m sorry,” McIlroy was seen saying to Scott Scheffler, Scottie’s father, after the victory at East Lake Golf Club — adding that his son “deserved” to win the tournament. He then hugged Diane, Scottie’s mom, and his wife, Meredith.

McIlroy rallied from a huge deficit in the final round against Scheffler and finished with a 4-under 66 to become the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup. Scheffler struggled on the final day, finishing with a 3-over 73 and squandering the six-stroke lead that he held heading into Sunday.

After leaving the 18th green, McIlroy was greeted by Scheffler’s parents with congratulatory messages.

“He’s had an unbelievable year,” McIlroy said, referencing Scheffler’s three other PGA Tour wins in 2022, to go with his Masters win at Augusta National.

“So did you. Good playing,” Scheffler’s father, Scott replied.

“Congrats,” Diane said. “Good job. Great job.”

McIlroy — who’s become a vocal defender of the PGA Tour amid the rise of rival LIV Golf — won the last event of the tour following a third-place finish at The British Open in July.

The Northern Irish pro collected 18 million for winning the Fedex Cup, putting his total earnings in 2022 at 29 million. Scheffler ended in a tie for second place with Sungjae Im, with both earning $5.75 million.

“What a week, what a day,” McIlroy told Sky Sports after his comeback win at the Fedex Cup. “St Andrews was really hard for me. It was a tough one to get over.

“This softens the blow a little bit. It doesn’t make it that much easier to get over, but it’s great to end the season on a high note like this.”

McIlroy held a lead going into the final day of the Open Championship at St. Andrews in July, but ended up losing to Cameron Smith. He joked that he and Scheffler are now even after the latter’s triumph at Augusta National earlier this year.

“I feel sort of bad that I pipped him to the post, but he’s a hell of a competitor. He’s an even better guy,” said McIlroy, who finished second at Augusta. “It was an honor and a privilege to battle with him and I’m sure we’ll have many more. I told him we’re one-all in Georgia today: He got the Masters and I got this!”

McIlroy also expressed his commitment to the PGA Tour amid continued rumors of defections by top players to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.

“I believe in the game of golf, I believe in this Tour in particular, I believe in the players on this Tour,” McIlroy said. “It’s the greatest place in the world to play golf, bar none, and I’ve played all over the world.

“This is an incredibly proud moment for me, but it should also be an incredibly proud moment for the PGA Tour. They have had some hard times this year but we are getting through it and that was a spectacle out there today.

“Two of the best players in the world going head-to-head for the biggest prize on the PGA Tour and I hope everyone at home enjoyed that.”