Tiger-esque McIlroy cruises to US Open title

Rory McIlroy captured his first major golf title in historic fashion on Sunday, turning the final round of the 111th US Open into a virtual victory lap on his way to an eight-stroke triumph.

The 22-year-old Northern Ireland prodigy fired a two-under par 69 to finish 72 holes at Congressional Country Club on 16-under par 268, the lowest winning total in US Open history, and become the youngest US Open winner in 88 years.

“The whole week has been in-credible,” McIlroy said.

“I couldn’t ask for much more.”

The Ulsterman humbled course and rivals the same way 21-year-old Tiger Woods ripped apart Augusta National and overwhelmed the field in the 1997 Masters for the first of his 14 career major triumphs.

McIlroy became the youngest major winner since Woods at the 1997 Masters and the youngest US Open winner since Bobby Jones in 1923.

“Heck of a performance,” Woods said in a statement.

“Congrats and well done. Enjoy it. This was an impressive performance.”

Woods, mired in a 20-month win drought since his infamous sex scandal, missed the US Open with a left knee injury.

Masters runner-up Jason Day, of Australia, was a distant second on 276.

South Korean Yang Yong-Eun, England’s Lee Westwood and Americans Robert Garrigus and Kevin Chappell shared third on 278 but none made a serious bid to deny McIlroy a wire-to-wire victory.

With earlier scores of 65, 66 and 68, McIlroy became only the third player in US Open history to complete four rounds in the 60s, matching Lee Janzen and Lee Trevino in achieving the feat.

McIlroy, who has led seven of the eight major rounds completed this year, began the day with an eight-stroke lead over final-group partner Yang and made the turn with the margin intact.

McIlroy had squandered a four-stroke lead after 54 holes at the Masters two months ago, a woeful tee shot at the 10th leading to a triple bogey on his way to a final-round 80.

But when he came to Congressional’s par-three 10th hole, with water in front of the green and bunkers in the back, he launched the ball safely onto the green and it rolled back inches from the cup to set up a tap-in birdie.

The birdie put McIlroy to 17-under, five-strokes lower to par than any player at any point in any US Open ever played, and all-but ended any notion he would repeat his nightmare back-nine from Augusta National.

“Augusta was a very valuable experience for me,” McIlroy said.

“I learned a few things about myself and my game and I put them into practice. I knew what I had to do to win.”

Yang birdied the sixth and ninth to keep what pressure he could upon McIlroy but could not crack McIlroy’s resolve on the back nine.

Even when McIlroy missed a five-foot par putt at 12 for just his fourth dropped shot of the week, his second bogey after a double bogey on his 36th hole, Yang took a bogey at 15 to stay nine back.

McIlroy’s first three-putt green of the week came on the 71st hole and cost him another bogey but the ‘boy wonder’ parred the 18th with a tap-in and pumped his first with joy before celebrating with his father Gerry.

“Happy Father’s Day dad,” he said.

“This is for you.”

Nicklaus praise

McIlroy’s utter domination sparked comparisons with Woods, although the idea that a 14-time major champion might have been only the warm-up act for McIlroy’s magnificence threatened to boggle the mind of the golf world.

“I think this kid is going to have a great career, no question about that,” 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus said.

“He plays very well. He had a couple disappointments. I didn’t think that was going to happen again and it hasn’t.”

McIlroy, who jumps from eighth to fourth in the world rankings, became the 11th different winner in the past 11 majors and the eighth first-time major champion among the past nine major winners.