Rory McIlroy wins 2014 Open at Hoylake once fighting off stiff competition from Sergio Garcia

RORY McIlroy command off a spirited challenge from Ryder Cup team mate Sergio Garcia to say his third major title on an exciting final day of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool on Sunday.
However, the 34-year-old European - fifth here in 2006 and currently with nineteen top-10s in sixty four majors  crucially bogeyed the fifteenth to unleash a number of the pressure and McIlroy wouldn't be denied turning into the primary European player to win 3 completely different majors since the Masters was supported in 1934. Even greats like Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros won simply 2 of the four.
McIlroy took a six-shot lead over Rickie Fowler into the last spherical and was seven further from Garcia however saw that advantage move simply 2 strokes as Garcia vie the primary ten holes in 5 vile.
McIlroy's closing seventy one gave him a seventeen under-par total of 271 2 earlier than a gallant Garcia whose closing sixty six left him joint second with Rickie Fowler. Fowler birdied 3 of the last four holes to card a sixty seven and has currently finished fifth second and second within the years majors.
The Northern Irishman becomes simply the third man within the epoch once Tiger Woods and Jack William Nicklaus to win 3 majors by the age of twenty five, whereas the primary prize of £975 000 wasn't the sole windfall for the McIlroy family - his father Gerry and 3 friends every won £50,000 once golf stroke £100 on the 15-year-old at 500-1 a decade past to carry the Claret Jug before his twenty sixth birthday.
Back up to second within the world rankings, McIlroy has completed 3 legs of the career slam and desires to win the Masters to hitch golf player golfer, urban center Player, Jack William Nicklaus and Tiger Woods because the solely men to own won all four majors. He light-emitting diode by four shots going into the ultimate spherical at Augusta in 2011 solely to collapse to a closing eighty.
A similar procession was expected in some quarters on Sunday not least once McIlroy got off to a flying begin by smashing a drive down the center of the primary fairway and holing from twenty feet for birdie to increase his cause seven shots.
McIlroy is that the second wire to wire winner of a significant in succession once Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst last month by eight shots an equivalent margin by that McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 U.S. PGA Championship.
McIlroy had carded consecutive bogeys for the primary time all week on the fifth and sixth and had to save lots of par from a site bunker on the seventh however conjointly birdied the ninth to revive a four shot cushion.
However the benign conditions were permitting the chasing pack to form a charge and it absolutely was Garcia WHO took most advantage birdies on the primary, third and fifth taking him to the flip in thirty two.
That lasted a matter of minutes although, Garcia holing from twelve feet for AN eagle on the tenth to cut back the gap to merely 2 shots, just for McIlroy to retort with a two-putt birdie on an equivalent hole ten minutes later.
McIlroy agonisingly left a birdie putt inches short on an equivalent hole before hit a dreadful tee shot on the thirteenth that came up well in need of the inexperienced, the ensuing bogey cutting his cause 2 shots once more.

It was Garcia's address feel the pressure as he incised his approach to the twelfth into the grandstand, however he was smiling seconds later because the ball rebounded out and on to the sting of the inexperienced. From there he saved par kissed the ball and deposited it straight back to an equivalent grandstand  albeit at a significantly slower speed than the primary time.
Then came the process moment. With McIlroy observance back on the tee, Garcia didn't get out of a site bunker on the fifteenth at the primary try and though he birdied the sixteenth, thus did McIlroy and once Garcia left a birdie try on the seventeenth tamely short, it absolutely was effectively everywhere.
To be 3 legs towards the career slam at the age of twenty five may be a pretty smart action. it isn't reaching to sink sure a short while.
It feels unimaginable,McIlroy told the BBC. these days wasn't straightforward. there have been lots Pine Tree Staten|of fellows} creating runs at me and that i simply required to remain centered, detain this and consider what i used to be doing out there.
Speaking concerning the bet stricken by his father and 3 friends, he additional i do not suppose it matters such a lot to my papa any longer however the team mates he did it with, i believe they seem to be a very little happier. Hopefully the bet still stands. i am almost certain however if it will then that d be nice.
I knew I had some holes wherever I might create birdie and sixteen was the $64000 hole on behalf of me that i believe settled the championship.
Asked if he continually felt on top of things, McIlroy additional The lead ne'er got but 2. I continually felt I had that small little bit of a cushion.