McIlroy wins fourth major title

Starting the final day with a one stroke lead, Rory McIlroy overcame a few stumbles to finish with a three-under-par 68 for a 16 under total of 268.

In second place, was veteran Phil Mickelson who carded a five under 66 to finish at 15 under.

In third was Sweden's Henrik Stenson and Rickie Fowler, both at 14 under after completing four rounds at the Valhalla course in Kentucky.

The final round was delayed for almost two hours due to rain which flooded the fairways and made playing difficult.

The delay almost meant that the last twosomes were literally playing in the dark. In fact, in a rare occurence, Mickelson and Fowler, who were ahead of McIlroy and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, allowed them to tee off in what little light was left.

A dream summer

At the 18th hole, a par 5, Mickelsen needed an eagle to tie McIlroy and force a playoff on Monday. The crowd held its breath and Mickelsen chipped from off the green and almost holed it. He settled for a birdie.

Mickelsen's playing partner Rickie Fowler also needed an eagle to tie McIlroy, but it wasn't to be.

McIlroy put his second shot in the bunker, chipped onto the green, and then two-putted to win the tournament.

After being awarded the Wannamaker trophy Rory smiled and said, "I didn't think in my wildest dreams I'd have a summer like this."

And what a summer it has been. It was McIlroy's third consecutive victory in as many weeks, starting with the British Open three weeks ago, followed by the Bridgestone Invitational last week and now the final major tournament of the season, the PGA Championship. The 25-year-old's strong form has cemented his top spot in the PGA Tour world rankings.

Rory McIlroy can now have that well deserved summer vacation.

av/msh (AFP, AP)