Irishman wins his fourth Major overcomes challenge by Mickelson, Fowler and Wiesberger
No words nor pictures can ever describe the drama at Valhalla on Sunday night. It was 'Dark and Stormy' alright but the golf was incandescent. Illuminating the fairways, lighting up the greens and giving goose pimples to all those still present. It was indeed sweet recompense for all those muddied feet which had endured heavy rains and the 110 minute delay as a result of that.
It was almost as if daylight has extended its stay for just that bit longer to allow Rory McIlroy to shine through and when the last putt dropped and the Northern Irishman raised his arms to the sky, it was like he was signalling the Gods to close the door for the day. Darkness enveloped Valhalla within minutes of that.
McIlroy, just 25, had just won his fourth Major and was exulting in the warm bear hug of his father. At the Open he had embraced his mum Rosie on the 18th green. This time it was the turn of his dad Gerry.
McIlroy carded three-under 68 to move to 16-under 268 and win by one over Phil Mickelson, whose collection of seconds and thirds, is now reaching near legendary proportions. He was second at the PGA for the second time — the first being in 2001, when McIlroy was still in school.
Mickelson, whose sportsmanship, as also that of Rickie Fowler, may well have allowed McIlroy to finish and win in near-darkness as opposed to total darkness. So, add to all that drama, a generous dose of sportsmanship, which McIlroy did not fail to appreciate at his winning speech. Mickelson shot six birdies, but that one bogey on the 16th may well have cost him the title. He ended at five-under 66 for the day and 15-under 269 for the week.
Amidst all this joy, spare a minute or two for Fowler, too. Fowler, who shot three-under 68 including an early run that four birdies in five holes between third and seventh.
Henrik Stenson after making a habit of getting birdies on odd-numbered holes from first to ninth and again 13th. Maybe he needed one on 11th and 15th, too, and certainly did not need the bogey on 14th, as he carded 66 and ended at 14-under 270 alongside Fowler in tied third.
As the last four players raced to beat darkness, Mickelson and Fowler did what is seldom seen in the cut-throat world of professional sport. The duo allowed McIlroy — and Wiesberger — playing right behind them, to speed up and finish. They moved aside in the fairway to enable McIlroy to hit his tee shot.
"I want to thank Phil and Rickie for letting us play up," McIlroy said. "It showed a lot of sportsmanship and class from those guys."
"It's like a courtesy thing among players," Mickelson said, "In case they blow the horn (signalling that only those who have hit tee shots can finish that hole before play is stopped).
It gave everybody a chance to finish. It was great everyone had a chance to finish just in the nick of time. It's not a big deal either way."
At the prize presentation, USPGA president Ted Bishop dropped the lid of the massive Wanamaker Trophy – but Rory caught it. "This has been incredible, never in my wildest dreams did I believe I would have a summer like this," said McIlroy.
The bar at the media dining was called 'Dark and Stormy'. It turned out to be just that, except that the courtesies of golf were not forgotten even for a second as the gunslingers from either side of the 'pond' battled it out in what could for years be called as 'Drama at Valhalla'.
Years from now, they will recall this 'Foursome at Dusk' just as fondly we still do the famous Jack Nicklaus – Tom Watson epic 'Duel in the Sun' at Turnberry in 1977.
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