McIlroy buries US Open field

BETHESDA, Maryland — Rory McIlroy’s first major title was never in doubt Sunday as he ran away with the U.S. Open, winning by eight shots and breaking the tournament scoring record by a whopping four strokes.

McIlroy shot 2-under 69 to close the four days at Congressional at 16-under 268, shattering a U.S. Open scoring record held by four players, including Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

All week, McIlroy’s performance was compared with Tiger Woods’ 15-shot blowout at Pebble Beach back in 2000. The margin at Congressional may not have been as impressive, but the performance certainly was.

“I was trying to go out there today and emulate him in some way,” McIlroy said. “I played great for four days and I couldn’t be happier.”

Two months ago, McIlroy blew a four-shot lead on the last day at the Masters. But there was never any sign of a crack in this one.

The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland started the day with an eight-shot lead and it never got lower. He became the third player in U.S. Open history to break 70 in all four rounds.

Jason Day finished at 8 under, good for second place in his second straight major. Kevin Chappell, Lee Westwood and Robert Garrigus shared third spot at 6 under.

IN CONTROL

In complete control of his emotions and his game, McIlroy never showed any signs of repeating the Masters collapse that was so thorough, some wondered if he could ever recover.

After hitting his 10th tee shot near a cabin on the outskirts of Augusta National, he melted down, shot 80 and finished 15th at the Masters.

His shot on the 10th hole of this one showed how far he’s come. On the 214-yard par-3, a downhill shot over water, McIlroy knocked the ball above the hole, then watched as it stopped for a split second and started spinning — backward, backward, before stopping an inch or two from the hole. He pursed his lips. “Oooh,” he said. Yeah, that was nice.

He tapped in for a birdie that got him to 17-under par at a tournament that had never seen a score lower than 12 under before Friday.

He ended up at 16 under, coming short of the all-time major record of 19-under par — set by Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in 2000.

RECORDS

McIlroy put plenty of ink in that record book nonetheless.

He owns the scoring records for 36, 54 and 72 holes at the toughest test in golf.

He did it at age 22, the same age as Nicklaus when he won the first of his record 18 majors. The two have become friends and The Bear appreciates what he’s been seeing.

“I think this kid’s going to have a great career,” Nicklaus said in an interview on NBC. “I don’t think there’s any question about it. He’s got all the components.”

And this from Graeme McDowell, last year’s champion and a countryman of McIlroy: “Nothing this kid does ever surprises me. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

It was another calm, overcast day at Congressional, and there were more low scores to be had. The Blue Course has been taking a beating despite measuring 7,574 yards — second longest in U.S. Open history.

After the final tap-in, Gerry McIlroy met his son as he walked off the green.

“Happy Father’s Day,” the new champion said.

Happy Father’s Day, indeed. /AP