• Quail Hollow Championship

Sensation McIlroy breaks course record to claim title

ESPN staff
May 2, 2010
Rory McIlroy only turned professional in 2007 © Getty Images
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Quail Hollow Championship gallery

Northern Ireland's 20-year-old sensation Rory McIlroy produced a course record 62 in the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship to power his way to his maiden PGA Tour title.

Having narrowly avoided the cut after the first two days, McIlroy put together two spectacular rounds of golf over the weekend to make a charge up the leaderboard, eventually winning the event by four shots on 15-under-par. The hugely talented youngster carded a six-under 66 in round three to launch his assault on the leaders, but then came a quite simply unrivalled 10-under 62 to see off his nearest rivals.

Victory acts as formal acknowledgement of the emergence of a truly talented individual in Europe's golfing ranks, just two days before his 21st birthday, confirming what many had predicted when McIlroy turned professional in 2007. Having previously shot a course record 61 on the Dunluce links of the Royal Portrush Golf Club, and won the European Amateur Championship in 2006, victory at Quail Hollow will now be seen as the watershed to a career littered with PGA Tour titles.

"I don't know what to say. I got in the zone, I got my nose in front and tried to stay there," said McIlroy on Sky Sports. "I dreamt of this day since I was 10 or 11. It's been a crazy ride and I'm just delighted, to do it on a course like this is special.

"I'm going to have a party on Tuesday night, if I was back home I'd be having a good one tonight. Coming off a 16-under-par weekend, I need to let it sink in. It's ridiculous, I've felt like this before, I was seeing the lines and the putts were going in."

Beginning the day four shots off the pace, McIlroy was level by the turn after birdies at four, seven, eight and nine. Two more followed at 11 and 14, but it was the eagle at the par-five 15th that undeniably stamped his mark all over the tournament.

Angel Cabrera, who finished third, was only one shot off the pace when McIlroy struck his eagle, opening up a yawning three-stroke gap. A further birdie at 16 ensured no heartbreaking collapse, before a gigantic birdie putt at the 18th secured McIlroy all the headlines at a competition that started out with all its attention on a certain Tiger Woods.

With Woods long gone, cut before the weekend, world No. 2 Phil Mickelson put in another superb effort to support his recent Masters victory, carding a four-under 68 to edge ahead of Cabrera for sole claim of second. Three birdies directly after the turn shot the American into contention, but even the four-time Major winner could not stop McIlroy's victory lap.

For large parts of the day Cabrera had looked like the Irishman's nearest rival, having carded consecutive birdies at five, six and seven, but he could only finish with a four-under-par 68.

Third-round leader Billy Mayfair had something of a day to forget as he attempted to defend his two-shot lead, going four-over in his final round. A double-bogey at the seventh effectively ended Mayfair's challenge, although an eagle at the 14th at least ensured a tied-14th finish.

Padraig Harrington, who never finished over par in the entire tournament, ended on a satisfying round of 68, lifting him to tied-seventh position - nine shots behind McIlroy. Further down the list Lee Westwood carded a 72 to finish on even-par.

It was a tough day for Camilo Villegas though, who finished four-over-par for the tournament having begun the final round on four-under. Six bogeys and a double-bogey contributed to a memorable round of 80 from the Colombian.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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