Rory McIlroy won the first major golf championship played in the state of South Carolina.
With a spectacular 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole, 23-year old Rory McIlroy won the 94th PGA Championship in record setting fashion at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina on Sunday.
The victory at Kiawah catapulted McIlroy to the number one ranking in the world. It is his second major championship. He won the 2011 U.S. Open but had not finished higher than 40th in the other three majors this season.
McIlroy (-13) shot a final round 6-under par 66 to win the tournament by eight strokes over 38-year old Englishman David Lynn, who received an invitation only last week by the PGA of America to play at Kiawah. Lynn finished alone in second at 5-under par.
McIlroy shot rounds of 67, 75, 67 and 66. He broke the PGA Championship record previously held by Jack Nicklaus for the largest margin of victory.
McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, won the Wanamaker Trophy which is awarded to the PGA Champion each year. The sterling silver hardware weighs 27 pounds and is the heaviest of the four major trophies in golf. It is named after creator Rodman Wanamaker.
Former Coastal Carolina All-American Dustin Johnson closed with a 71 to finish 5-over par and tied for 48th. Tiger Woods shot even par 72 to end the four days 2-under par and tied for 11th.
Five of the top six finishers were foreign players. Keegan Bradley was the top American at 4-under par.
