When Rory McIlroy took a four-shot lead into the final round of the 2011 Masters, it appeared simply inevitable that Augusta National would prove to be the site of his first major title.
Rory McIlroy entered the big time by winning his first PGA Tour title at Quail Hollow in 2010. And it seemed that he was just as comfortable on the biggest stage as he took a commanding advantage into Sunday at The Masters the following year.
Of course, everyone knows what happened next. McIlroy posted an 80 to fall out of contention. He would have to wait another 14 years before he would finally win the Green Jacket.
Many would have feared what the agonising finish at Augusta would do to the young Northern Irishman. Unfortunately, it was not the first time that McIlroy had failed to convert a four-shot lead with 18 holes to play, having been beaten in a playoff at the 2008 Omega European Masters.
With that, the 2011 US Open was always likely to tell everyone a lot about Rory McIlroy. Indeed, what followed was one of the most impressive major championship performances golf has seen in a very long time.
The story of Rory McIlroy’s first ever major victory
Like most US Open tests, Congressional was not to be taken lightly. Ernie Els had won the 1997 US Open at the same venue with a score of four under par. Three over par was good enough for a top 10 finish that week in Maryland.
Interestingly, McIlroy predicted that the winning score 14 years later would be similar after seeing the course in the practice round.
“The way it’s set up at the minute is a little more scorable than the previous two US Opens that I’ve played. I’m not sure how much different the golf course is going to be on Thursday, but definitely at the minute you feel as if you can make a few birdies out there,” he said.
“They’ll obviously try to firm up the course from the weekend onwards. But I think you can see yourself shooting something in the 60s out here. I don’t know if you’ll be able to do that every day. I reckon a little under par might win this this week.”
The 22-year-old could have hardly got off to a better start. A 65 on Thursday gave McIlroy a three-shot lead. Remarkably, one of the two players in a tie for second was Charl Schwartzel. It was the South African who won The Masters as McIlroy fell away.
But there was to be no drama this time around. McIlroy became the first player to ever reach 13 under par in the US Open – doing so during his second round. And by the time the second round concluded on Saturday morning, his lead had grown to six shots.
Rory McIlroy broke numerous records on his way to winning the 2011 US Open
Y.E. Yang broke par for the third consecutive round later that day. And yet, the 2009 PGA Championship winner was eight shots adrift of McIlroy with 18 holes to play. Those tied for 10th found themselves 12 shots back of the lead.
Graeme McDowell was the defending champion that week. And after his third round, he admitted that he was lost for words when it came to his countryman’s performance.
“It’s just phenomenal. You run out of superlatives to describe what he’s doing this week. He’s decimating a field,” he said.
“The golf course, you know, I’ve been a little disappointed with the golf course the last couple of days. It wasn’t as firm and fast as I would like to have seen it. The storms on Thursday night really softened the place. A storm overnight last week, the ball was picking up mud in the fairways. It’s played longer tee-to-green, and the greens are receptive. So it’s not a true U.S. Open test out there, to be honest. There were some tough pins out there, no doubt. I’d like to see it tougher than it was. That’s the weather; you can’t control that.
“Taking nothing away from him. Rory is doing a phenomenal job out there. If you can put it in play, you’ve got a great chance to attack these bowl-shaped greens.”
His final round at Augusta would have inevitably crossed McIlroy’s mind when he prepared to tee off on Sunday at Congressional. However, any concerns of a collapse were swiftly put to bed, with the starlet birdieing two of his first four holes.
A round of 69 was his worst score of the week. But it was still good enough for McIlroy to win by eight to secure his first major title.
Unsurprisingly, his score set a new US Open record, confirming beyond any doubt that golf had found its new superstar in Rory McIlroy.