The King of Kiawah

In the final qualifying event for the US Ryder Cup team, nothing changed.

Phil Mickelson was holding down the eighth and final spot, and he stayed there when neither Bo Van Pelt nor Steve Stricker could make a move on the back nine. McIlroy was tied for the lead with Vijay Singh when he returned Sunday. Twenty-seven holes later, he had no peer in the final major of the year.

When he won the U.S. Open last year, Padraig Harrington suggested that perhaps McIlroy – not Woods – might be the one to challenge the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus. That looked like nothing more than one Irishman boosting another when McIlroy didn't come close in the next five majors.

But how about now?

"I think winning his second major is going to make things a lot easier for him," Harrington, a three-time major winner, said. "I think last year he proved it, but there's been ups and downs since his last major win because of the pressure and the expectations and the hype. Now he's delivered again. It's going to be a lot easier for him going forward. And he'll get better."

McIlroy went out in 33, saving par with a 10-foot putt on the ninth hole. Indeed, it was the Ulsterman's putting prowess – he holed a number of tricky ones for par to keep his momentum going – as much as his brilliant ball striking that impressed. That's what Woods used to do in the majors.