Rory McIlroy wins dramatic shootout to take PGA title

Louisville Topranked Rory McIlroy won his fourth major title by capturing the PGA Championship in a dramatic shotmakers showdown over the back nine at rainsoftened Valhalla Three weeks after winning the British Open the 25yearold from Northern Ireland took his second major victory in a row and third consecutive triumph overall in impressive fashion yesterdayMcIlroy fired a threeunder par 68 in the final round to finish 72 holes on 16under par 268 and edge fivetime major winner Phil Mickelson by one shot with Swedens fourthranked Henrik Stenson and British and US Open runnerup Rickie Fowler two adriftRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with the Wanamaker Trophy after his onestroke victory during the final round of the 96th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on Sunday in Louisville Kentucky PicAFPThe 25yearold from Northern Ireland took the Wanamaker Trophy even grabbing the lid as it fell during the awards ceremony and a 134 million 745 million euro top prizeMcIlroys hattrick of victories after the British Open and a World Golf Championships event last week give him the longest win streak since Tiger Woods completed a run of five in a row in 2008 McIlroy became the fourthyoungest man to win his fourth major trailing only Young Tom Morris Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and has taken four of the past 15 majors contestedFour of golfs biggest stars staged a trophy battle down the backstretch worthy of anything the Kentucky Derby horses at nearby Churchill Downs ever producedDrenched by 22 inches of rain in three days Valhalla offered birdie chances while the back nine turned up the tension and produced a spectacle Adding to the pressure was a rain delay of nearly two hours that left the leaders racing to finish before nightfall dark clouds looming over the 18th green as McIlroy finished in twilight McIlroy opened the back nine with an eagle added a birdie on 13 and sank a tense 10foot birdie putt at the 17th hole to seize a twostroke advantage McIlroy found the right rough off the tee at the par5 18th and a greenside bunker with his approach while Mickelson and Fowler were on the greenMickelson missed an 70foot eagle bid but tapped in for birdie to pull within one of McIlroy while Fowler settled for par to end his title hopes McIlroy blasted out to 34 feet left a birdie putt inches shy of the cup and parred to seal the most hardfought of his major winsTwo majors in a rowMcIlroy is the first man to win two majors in a row or in the same year since Irelands Padraig Harrington took the British Open and PGA in 2008 McIlroy joined Harrington Woods Walter Hagen and Nick Price as the only men to win the British Open and PGA in the same season McIlroy won the 2011 US Open 2012 PGA Championship and last months British Open at Hoylake by keeping big leads through the final round but had to charge from behind on the back nine yesterdayUS lefthander Mickelson shared the lead with McIlroy at 15under but found the rough at 16 bounced his bunker shot over the hole and left a 10foot par putt just short The resulting bogey dropped Mickelson to 14under with Fowler who rescued par at 16 after hitting his tee shot into a muddy spectator area at the adjacent 15th hole and StensonMickelson and Fowler parred the 17th while McIlroy sent his tee shot on the hole into a rightside fairway bunker But McIlroy responded with a clutch blast that landed 10 feet from the cup for a birdie chance and curled the putt home a clenched right fist his only sign of enjoyment at a twostroke lead Mickelson Fowler and Stenson reached the turn level at 14under McIlroy having stumbled wtih two bogeys in the first six holes while Stenson fired five birdies and the Americans had four eachFowler holed a 28foot birdie putt at the par5 10th to reclaim the lead alone at 15under McIlroy smashed his approach 274 yards to seven feet at the par5 10th and sank the eagle putt to reach 14under Mickelson followed with a 10foot birdie at 11 to 15under matching Fowler for the lead Stenson answered with a birdie at 13 putting his approach two feet from the cup to reach 15under but lipped out on a threefoot par putt at the par3 14th to fall back leaving the Americans at 15under and the Europeans on 14underMcIlroy grabbed a share of the lead with a fivefoot birdie putt at the 13th a passionate right fist punch signaling his excitement Fowler buried his tee shot in mud at 14 and missed a 17foot par putt a bogey dropping him to 14under leaving McIlroy and Mickelson sharing the lead Despite the defeat Fowler became only the third player to finish in the top five at all four majors in a single year