• US Open, Round Four

McIlroy takes first steps to greatness

In the end it was a procession. Rory McIlroy, the newly-crowned prince of golf, conducted his coronation at Congressional on Sunday with the authority of a man who'd won a dozen majors and might win a dozen more.

From the moment he strode out onto the 1st tee you could sense he was ready. Gone was the uncomfortable air he had at Augusta, and in its place an aura of calm authority.

"He's learned in six weeks what it took Lee Westwood 15 years to," said his manager Chubby Chandler, stood in the wings. "And that is how to prepare for a major."

And with that McIlroy cracked a drive down the fairway and bounded after it like the teenager he still resembles. A chip and a putt later he had his first birdie of the day, and the tone had been set for yet another peerless exhibition of shot making.

By the time his clinic was over, McIlroy had become the youngest US Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923, and achieved the lowest 72-hole total in the tournament's 116-year history.

But most importantly he had a major. And with his first one out of the way, the 22-year-old has everything in place to start a collection.

It's far too soon to start talking about catching Jack Nicklaus, as Padraig Harrington did on Friday, but there's every indication McIlroy's combination of boundless natural talent and newfound application will make him a factor in more majors than not moving forward.

"He's developing a level of consistency now that we haven't seen before," said his coach Michael Bannon - sending a wave of panic through the all but one of the professional golfers on the planet.

McIlroy's eight-shot victory in Maryland was achieved with a dominance of both the field and the golf course, that can only be compared to Tiger Woods' win at Pebble Beach in 2000.

Tom Watson famously said Woods "raised the bar" that day, and it's widely considered the most overwhelming triumph in the history of the majors. But if McIlroy's win here comes second, are we talking about a player with the potential to rank among the very best of all time?

When you look at the numbers it's easy to get carried away.

Over four rounds McIlroy hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, led the field in birdies and finished inside the top 10 for driving distance.

Congressional was the second longest course in US Open history, but McIlroy took such large bites at it that he ended up hitting a wedge nine times in his final round.

"If they make the golf courses longer, it will 8,000 yards next year. We have Rory to thank for that," Westwood said of his good friend.

It was a sentiment that was once regularly applied to Tiger Woods, but with the game's biggest star on the sidelines, a new era appears to be under way with McIlroy leading the revolution.

And if greatness truly beckons for the boy from Holywood, just the thought of that should be enough to get Tiger back sooner rather than later.

When he does return, could theirs be the rivalry that defines golf's next decade? I'm rather hoping it will be.

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