In the near darkness at Valhalla, the star of Rory McIlroy shone brightly as the world number one secured his fourth major victory at the 96th PGA Championship.
It was one of those championships that will be recalled in years to come, as it had it all. Drama, thrills and unpredictability, with a number of the game’s leading names going toe-to-toe in a battle to clinch the season’s final major. It was golf (and sport) at its very best.
Play had been suspended for around two hours midway through Sunday, with torrential rainfall submerging the Kentucky course. When play resumed at 14:40 ET, it appeared unlikely that the season’s final major would be completed on schedule. But it was, just.
Having regained the world number one spot after World Golf Championship victory in Akron, McIlroy arrived in Louisville as the hot favourite to have his name etched onto the Rodman Wanamaker trophy for a second time.
And true to expectation, the Northern Irishman held a one-shot lead after 54-holes from surprise package Bernd Wiesberger. However, it was to be the star names of Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson that would push the 25-year-old on Sunday.
Despite claiming his third major victory three weeks ago at Royal Liverpool, this major Sunday would be provide a different challenge. In 2011, McIlroy held an unsurmountable eight-shot advantage going into the final round at Congressional, with his advantage after three rounds being three at Kiawah Island in 2012 – where he first clinched the PGA. And at last month’s Open Championship, the imperious Ulsterman was six-clear of the pack before claiming the Claret Jug.
But on this major Sunday at Valhalla, his advantage was narrow, particularly on a soft and receptive course that had yielded low scores all week. This was a major championship that McIlroy needed to go out and win on Sunday.
And that he did.
Although for a period, it didn’t seem likely. Having earlier cited the increasing mental and physical exhaustion of contending in so many weeks, McIlroy’s words looked to have been prophetic. On the front-nine, his iron shots lacked their usual control, while the putts didn’t drop. With the likes of Mickelson, Fowler and Stenson all setting the sodden course alight with some stunning play, the 54-hole leader found himself three shots behind standing on the tenth tee.
However, the tenth was the site of the turning of the tide on this dramatic Sunday. After unleashing a bulleted drive down in the lengthy par five, McIlroy would extraordinarily power his 281 yard second shot to within eight feet of the pin. If truth be told, the shot wasn’t executed quite as envisaged, but these things seems to come off when a player is enjoying such a run of form.
He would convert for eagle, and suddenly his challenge was reignited. The bounce returned to his step, with a steely and confident determination evident as he made a crucial birdie on the 13th.
It was at this time, when, having it had their own way to this point, Mickelson, Fowler and Stenson would start to show signs of fragility. When the shots were perfectly executed before, they now missed the greens, with the birdie putts now becoming testy strokes for par.
The ball was firmly in McIlroy’s court.
And he would return it in defining fashion, with a majestic approach shot from a fairway bunker on the penultimate hole leading to a birdie. Having trudged off the ninth green three shots behind, Rory stood on the 18th tee two shots ahead of his challengers. A fourth major victory was in his grasp.
Light was diminishing rapidly, however, and we would see something unprecedented and surreal. McIlroy and playing partner Wiesberger would play the 18th almost in tandem alongside the penultimate pairing of Mickelson and Fowler, with the PGA of America desperately trying to conclude the championship.
In the end, despite the 44-year-old, five-time major champion, Mickelson, almost holing a pitch for eagle, McIlroy would complete a thrilling one-shot victory at 16-under-par after settling for a closing par five on the 72nd to complete a final round of 68.
The joy and satisfaction was obvious, with Rory embracing his delighted father, Gerry, just off the 18th green, with the shimmering flashes from cameras serving as the only perceptible light.
Simply put, golf has entered the era of Rory McIlroy. And this was in many ways his most impressive triumph.
In the past, his major victories have been hallmarked by comfortable winning margins, which, though undeniably imperious, perhaps lack the conventional strain of a major Sunday. But he had to dig deep at Valhalla. He showed us something different. He proved that he had the strength of mind to come from behind to see off a challenge from great players with a back-nine of 32.
It was gutsy, resilient, and resolute.
It is a triumph that reaffirms McIlroy’s status as the world’s best player, and sees him become the fourth youngest player in the history of the game to win four major championships. He is only a few months older than Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus were when they claimed their fourth grand slam titles, and the natural comparisons will now ensue.
However, Rory is his own player. He isn’t targeting anyone else’s achievements, but his own. But he is now in the pantheon of legends. Joining the likes of Ernie Els and Raymond Floyd with four major wins, he is just one off the career totals of Seve Ballesteros, Byron Nelson and Phil Mickelson, who finished in second at 15-under.
He is already in a position to establish himself as one of the game’s all-time greats. His legend will continue to grow, and who can tell where it may end.
There will be disappointment for Mickelson, who looked on-course to potentially win a sixth major championship after playing the first 11 holes in five-under. In the end, he ran out of steam towards the finish, but solace can be taken from the fact that the popular Californian is looking back to his best after an insipid season.
Rickie Fowler becomes the first player in the history of golf’s modern grand slam to finish inside the top five of all four majors in one year, without having won one of them. Like Mickelson, he will feel that he let himself down on the back-nine, with Stenson also failing to maintain the early momentum in the closing stretch.
But ultimately, though numerous essays could be written to try and document this extraordinary week, this was Rory McIlroy’s week. He arrived in Kentucky with the weight of expectation on his shoulders. Greatness was anticipated, and he duly delivered with a triumph that illustrates the strength of his character, as well as the quality of his game. He is the complete package.
This is the Era of Rory, ladies and gentlemen. And it will be a lot of fun to live through it.