Rory McIlroy won his second PGA Championship by a single stroke at Valhalla, closing with a 3-under 68 to finish at 16-under 268. It was his fourth major title in four years.
A three-shot swing at the turn
The Northern Irishman began the final round with a one-stroke lead. Bogeys on two of his first six holes dropped him behind Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson. He arrived at the 10th tee trailing by three, then struck an eagle that flipped the round on its head.
Birdies followed on the 13th and 17th holes. The latter was a 10-foot putt that restored a two-shot cushion. He had turned a faltering start into command with nine holes of aggressive golf.
A race against darkness and rain
Nearly 1.5 inches of rain flooded the Kentucky course earlier in the day, forcing a delay of close to two hours. The final group teed off at 4:20 p.m. Another storm gathered as the leaders approached the closing stretch.
On the 18th, with light fading and lightning flashing, McIlroy asked to hit up while Mickelson and Fowler were still in the fairway. The groups merged into a foursome to beat nightfall. Mickelson pitched to a foot and tapped in for birdie to post 15-under.
McIlroy found a greenside bunker with his approach. He splashed out to a foot and knocked it home to seal victory. "It was a classy move for those guys to let us come up," McIlroy said afterwards. "True sportsmanship."
At 25 years old, he joined Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones as the only players in the past century to win four majors aged 25 or younger. The win marked his third straight tournament victory and second consecutive major.
The one-shot margin made it the closest call of his four major wins to date — and the most satisfying.
