Rory McIlroy held on to win the 2014 Open Championship on Sunday in Hoylake, while golf superstar Tiger Woods had his worst finish in a British Open.
McIlroy, who has been struggling to regain his form that made him the top golfer before, had a six-shot lead heading into the final round of the tournament, but his opponents were determined to take the top spot from him.
The 25-year-old responded well to the challenge, though, as he made two crucial birdies in the final round and then held on for the rest of the way to finish 1-under 71, which was enough to complete a wire-to-wire win.
McIlroy edged Sergio Garcia and Ricky Fowler by two shots to become the first wire-to-wire winner since Woods did the same feat in the 2005 edition of the Open Championship.
"I've really found my passion again for golf," McIlroy said via ESPN. "Not that it ever dwindled, but it's what I think about when I get up in the morning. It's what I think about when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then trophies like this are within my capability."
With the win, McIlroy joined Jack Nicklaus and Woods in the list of players to win three legs of a career Grand Slam before turning 26 years old. The Northern Ireland native won the US Open in 2012 and PGA Championship in 2012.
"I'm immensely proud of myself," McIlroy said. "To sit here, 25 years of age, and win my third major championship and be three-quarters of the way to a career Grand Slam, yeah, I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly."
Meanwhile, Woods failed to live up to expectations in his second tournament coming off a back surgery in March.
The former world No. 1 shot a final round 75 to end up 69th in the tournament - his worst 72-hole finish in a major tournament since turning professional.
"I just thought that -- I know how to play links golf, I know how to grind it on these golf courses, and hitting the shots I thought I could get around here," Woods said. "I did the first day. After a bad start I got it back. And unfortunately, as I said, I made too many mistakes with the doubles and triples."
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