It was appropriate that Tiger Woods was long gone from the premises by the time Rory McIlroy stepped on to Royal Liverpool’s 1st tee.
A new age of golf, with McIlroy as the star, was endorsed by his claiming of the 143rd Open Championship. A sport that is so in need of heroes and poster boys to compensate for Woods’s fall from grace has one in the form of a barman’s son from Holywood. Not only is McIlroy the box office golfer of his generation, he has a proven ability to achieve results in any company. His significance should never be underestimated; this young man plays with a flair and fluency that sets him apart from his peers.
On a course where Woods swatted aside all before him in 2006, McIlroy provided an imperious front-running performance from the moment he signed for an opening round of 66. He closed with a 71 for a two-stroke victory, amid spine-tingling scenes of celebration that illustrated the popularity of McIlroy’s triumph.
McIlroy’s day four was not nearly as spectacular as what had come before, but it did not have to be. It is a tribute to the new holder of the Claret Jug that no onlooker truly had cause to believe he could be upstaged. This was gritty stuff, just when McIlroy needed it.
Rory’s redemption is complete. His toils of 2013 pale into irrelevance in the context of a career that has now yielded three-quarters of a grand slam of majors. McIlroy is only 25. Only Woods and the great Jack Nicklaus had, like McIlroy, won three majors by this juncture in their lives.
They said this would be the major McIlroy would struggle to win, that his high ball flight and fondness for aggression would never prevail on a links course. When McIlroy struggled throughout so much of last year, it was even claimed his earlier success should not have been regarded as a sign of things to come.
How he has comprehensively dismissed such notions; it is inconceivable McIlroy will not enter the pantheon of golfing legends by adding the Masters to his title collection at some point.
Such matters are for the future. In the present, McIlroy has been catapulted to No2 in the world rankings. Only Adam Scott lies between McIlroy and a return to top spot. Northern Ireland has provided two Open champions in four years, after Darren Clarke in 2011.
McIlroy’s father, Gerry, is £100,000 richer after having the foresight to bet on the 15-year-old Rory winning an Open before he turned 26. It was McIlroy’s tearful mother, Rosie, who was beckoned on to the 18th green after the final putt had been tapped in. Dad was not far behind.
McIlroy had the good grace to offer some Sunday excitement. His birdie on the opening hole left the impression the remainder of the field could pack up and go home but the odd nervous moment followed. Understandably so, given the level of pressure attached to Open championships.
A horrible second shot to the 5th appeared to spook McIlroy, who promptly dropped two strokes in as many holes. It would have been the definition of golfing irony had Sergio García capitalised on another player’s collapse; the Spaniard moved to within two of McIlroy with a wonderful eagle at the 10th.
The notion that someone might, finally, be smiling down on García was enhanced at the 12th, where a wild second shot rebounded from the middle of a grandstand to the apron of the green. It was an outrageous piece of good fortune; García made par from there.
The lead was two again as McIlroy dropped a shot at the par-three 13th. He couldn’t, could he? Of course not, as it transpired. McIlroy’s only annoyance over the closing stretch came because of the actions of a spectator, who heckled him on the 16th tee. The punter was duly taken care of by the local constabulary.
García wastefully played his tee shot on the 15th, the easiest par three on the course, into a bunker. With McIlroy watching from behind, it took him two shots to get out of the trap. History tells us the biggest danger to García would always be the realisation that he could win on a stage such as this.
Whether on account of a mental barrier or simple carelessness, García’s major wait goes on. His tame putt for birdie one hole from home, when he had one last chance to scare McIlroy, was the most frustrating aspect of García’s day.
Rickie Fowler became only the third player in history not to win an Open despite four rounds in the 60s. McIlroy’s Sunday playing partner signed for a 67, which secured a tie for second with García at an aggregate of 15 under par.
Adam Scott departed Merseyside with a smile after his 66. The Australian’s double bogey on the 7th proved a rare aberration; Scott tied for fifth alongside his compatriot Marc Leishman. Jim Furyk was fourth on his own, having taken just 65 Sunday shots.
McIlroy was to stand on the 18th tee holding a three-shot lead, with García yet to make his birdie. McIlroy also held an iron; this was no time for recklessness.
Moments later, he made the famous and acclaimed walk that every young golfer should dream of. McIlroy’s style and success has inspired them, which highlights the wider benefit of his historic victory.
