McIlroy Joy At Tournament that Tiger Tanked

Rory McIlroy fired a stunning final round of 62 to register his first victory on US soil at the Quail Hollow Championship in North Carolina.The Irish star – who does not turn 21 until next week – fired eight birdies and an eagle in his final round to finish on 15 under par, wrapping things up with a 40ft putt on the final green to break the course record by two shots. It makes him the youngest winner on the USPGA Tour since Tiger Woods’ maiden victory in 1996. McIlroy had fired himself into contention during Saturday’s third round with a 66 after having scraped through to the weekend on the cut line, and his fireworks continued as he got under way on Sunday afternoon with four birdies in a front nine of 32.Another birdie at the 11th and a run of birdie-eagle-birdie from the 14th put him clear of a chasing pack that included the last two Masters champions, Phil Mickelson and Angel Cabrera, the Holywood golfer completed his round with six consecutive threes at one of the toughest venues on the US Tour.
McIlroy enjoyed a five-shot lead after signing his card with little left to do but wait for the last few groups to finish before he could celebrate the biggest win of his career so far. Mickelson birdied the last to cut the winning margin to four shots and pip Cabrera to second place, with South African Brendon de Jonge in fourth after a final round of 66.Padraig Harrington also enjoyed a good week, closing with a 68 to finish in a tie for 7th. But the day belonged to McIlroy, whose victory is the perfect tonic after a miserable season so far which has even had him suggesting that he needed a lengthy break from the game.Yet the champagne will have to stay on ice for a couple of days since he is still short of the legal drinking age in the US!

Bob "The Voice" McKenzie Twitter: @BobTheVoice About: