Wednesday 12 August 2015 14:40, UK
Rory McIlory’s fourth major triumph was one with a difference. The Northern Irishman had led from the front in his three previous wins, but the 2014 PGA Championship showed he also had the ability to come from behind.
He became the first back-to-back major winner in six years – the first British player to achieve the feat – with a two-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson in Valhalla, but it was the manner of victory which pleased McIlroy most.
"This was different than my previous major wins," McIlroy said. "I showed a lot of guts to get this one done."
It certainly was a contrast to his preceding major wins. In 2011, McIlroy led from start to finish at the US Open to win his first major title by eight strokes; the feat made more impressive coming just two months after his collapse at the Masters in Augusta. Another eight-stroke victory followed in 2012 at the PGA Championship, a record-winning margin, propelling McIlroy back to world No 1.
For the second time in his career the then 25-year-old won a major by leading after every round at The Open in 2014, seeing off a late challenge from Sergio Garcia to win by two shots.
So for McIlroy, the US PGA Championship two weeks later was an entirely new experience. By the time he stepped onto the 10th fairway in the final round he was trailing an elite group of Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson.
Faced with a 284-yard ‘approach’ on the 590-yard par five, McIlroy attacked with his three-wood, sending the ball to within seven feet of the pin to put him back in contention with an eagle-three.
"You need a little bit of luck in major championships to win and that was my lucky break,” he later admitted.
The Northern Irishman was then tied for the lead three holes later before dropped shots at 14 for Fowler and Stenson left only Mickelson for company at the top of the leaderboard.
McIlroy profited from the American’s blunder at the par-four 16th, who missed a seven-foot putt for par. On the 17th he took matters into his own hands. Seemingly in trouble in a fairway bunker 150 yards from the pin, he wedged to within 11 feet of the pin before holing for a two shot lead with one to play.
Mickelson, requiring a two-stroke swing to force a play-off, birdied at the last to test McIlroy's nerve at the death - something that had not been examined in his three other major successes. But the five-time major winner's gain was paled into insignificance as McIlroy held for par, joining Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as a winner of four majors under the age of 25.
“It’s something that I’m just going to have to come to terms with. I was happy being a two-time major champion coming into the year,” McIlroy said in his post-tournament press conference.
“All of a sudden I'm a four-time major champion."
McIlroy's US PGA success
The world No 1 has posted a top-eight finish in five of his six appearances at golf's final major of the year, with the sole exception coming in 2011 after back-to-back 74s over the weekend left McIlory in a tie for 64th.
After finishing three shots off the pace in 2009 and within one of 2010 champion Martin Kaymer to post consecutive third place finishes, McIlroy stormed to a record-breaking eight-shot win at Kiawah Island in 2012 for a second major title of his career.
A slow start to the week saw McIlroy's title defence a year later end in a tie for eighth, but he was able to reclaim victory with that drama-filled triumph at Valhalla.
Will McIlroy be fit enough to defend his title at Whistling Straits? Follow the latest news ahead of the 97th PGA Championship on the Sky Sports Golf site.
