The golf world saw its final major championship come and go on Sunday with the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
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When it came time for the tournament’s champion to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy, it was a familiar sight indeed. The 25-year-old Irishman Rory McIlroy was once again the major champion, finishing at 16-under-par and winning his second career PGA Championship and his fourth career major championship.
McIlroy had to win this major differently than he did his first three. Rather than entering the final day with a big lead and then running to the finish, McIlroy had to hold off a star-studded field and win a tightly contested tournament on Sunday. The victory even required a bit of a comeback, as McIlroy had to finish off an incredible eagle on hole no. 10 to get back in the mix before regaining the lead and eventually winning.
As usual, McIlroy’s ball-striking en route to this victory was superb. He gave himself opportunities all day, only to see many of the putts not quite fall. Once they did, McIlroy just proved to be too much and he continued to assert himself as the most dominant superstar in golf.
Phil Mickelson finished at 15-under-par, ending his season on a much higher note and giving himself momentum for the FedEx playoffs and Ryder Cup. Rickie Fowler finished at 14-under, logging another top-10 finish but failing to win any majors during an outstanding season.
Besides the outstanding play from the field, the story on this day was the darkness. There was nearly a two-hour delay due to rain in the afternoon, pushing the end of the tournament well into the night. With the sun going down at 8:30 P.M., the players played the final holes in darkness.
This also created an odd situation where the last two groups played no. 18 as a quasi-foursome, with McIlroy joining Fowler and Mickelson by playing up with his tee and approach shot. Besides that odd and somewhat controversial situation, the darnkess also made it difficult to read putts or gauge distance.
That set McIlroy up to make a par on the 18th and put away another major victory, and he did just that.