As a kid growing up in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, hitting wiffle balls into his mother’s clothes dryer, Rory McIlroy dreamed of lifting the most coveted of European golf trophies — the Claret Jug.
McIlroy made that childhood dream come true Sunday at the Open Championship, commonly referred to as the British Open, after holding off strong charges by Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler from the U.S.A. in the final round at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Only a month after Germany’s Martin Kaymer pulled away from the field at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, it looked like McIlroy would do the same in the U.K.
McIlroy took a 6-shot lead into the final round after finishing the third round with eagles on holes 16 and 18. He entered Sunday expecting to become the “champion golfer of the year,” as no one has ever lost the Open Championship entering into the final round with a lead of six strokes.
Garcia and Fowler did not get that memo, and put up final round scores of 66 and 67, respectively. But McIlroy never wavered, keeping Garcia and Fowler at bay just long enough to hold on to the win by two strokes.
Starting the final day with a score of 16 under par, McIlroy had Tiger Wood’s lowest score record in sight. In 2000 at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, Woods took the tournament with a final score of 19 below par. But McIlroy finished his final round one under par, ending 17-under.
With the win, McIlroy picked up the third of four legs of the career grand slam, a feat that took lefty Phil Mickelson until the age of 43 to achieve. The career slam is an achievement only five men reached in the Masters era (since 1934) — a feat even legendary golfer Arnold Palmer failed to accomplish.
McIlroy now finds himself in the company of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only golfers to win three of four majors before the age of 27. Woods, Nicklaus and Player all went on to win the slam.
Since 1934, McIlroy became the third youngest ever to win a third major. He now has a chance to join Woods in the chase to break the all-time record for major wins still held by Nicklaus.
His final leg on the way to the slam is the tournament that looked like it would be his first – The Masters. After holding the 54-hole lead at the 2011 Masters, McIlroy shot an 80 in the final round, dropping him out of contention for the Green Jacket.
A Green Jacket may still be on his to-do list, but for now Rory McIlroy is savoring the win on his home isles.
The 2015 Open Championship will be contended at the home of golf – The Old Course at St. Andrews Links in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Joe Mallette is a 26-year-old mass communication freshman from Lake Charles, La.