Walking off the 18th green as the British Open champion, Rory McIlroy kept gazing at all the greats on golfs oldest trophy.

HOYLAKE, England -- Walking off the 18th green as the British Open champion, Rory McIlroy kept gazing at all the greats on golfs oldest trophy. Joe Thornton Jersey . On the claret jug, his name is etched in silver below Phil Mickelson. In the record book, he is listed behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the youngest to get three legs of the career Grand Slam. And over four days at Royal Liverpool, he had no equal. "Im immensely proud of myself," McIlroy said after his two-shot victory Sunday that was never really in doubt. "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." He had to work a little harder than he wanted for this one. Staked to a six-shot lead going into the final round, McIlroy turned back every challenge. He made two key birdies around the turn, and delivered a majestic drive at just the right moment to close with a 1-under 71 and complete his wire-to-wire victory. In another major lacking tension over the final hour, what brought The Open to life was the potential of its champion. After nearly two years of turmoil, McIlroy looked like the kid who shattered scoring records to win the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, and who won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record eight shots a year later. Boy Wonder is back. Or maybe hes just getting started again. McIlroy won by two shots over Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to become the first start-to-finish winner since Woods at St. Andrews in 2005. Even with one major left this year, the Northern Irishman already is looking ahead to Augusta National next April for a shot at the slam. "Ive really found my passion again for golf," McIlroy said. "Not that it ever dwindled, but its what I think about when I get up in the morning. Its 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." McIlroy put an end to this major with a powerful drive down the fairway at the par-5 16th, setting up a two-putt birdie to restore his lead to three shots. He finished with two pars, tapping in for par on the 18th green. The hard part was trying not to cry when his mother, Rosie, came onto the green with tears streaming down her face. She was not at the other two majors. Before leaving, McIlroy turned and applauded the fans in the horseshoe arena who were witness to another masterpiece. This could have been another romp except for a shaky stretch early for McIlroy, and solid efforts from Garcia and Fowler. Garcia pulled within two shots with four holes to play until he put his tee shot in a pot bunker just right of the 15th green. His first shot failed to get over the 4-foot sodden wall and rolled back into the sand. He made bogey, and two birdies over the final three holes were not enough. Garcia shot 66 and was runner-up in a major for the fourth time. "I think that we gave it a good effort," Garcia said. "And there was someone a little bit better." Fowler, playing in the final group for the second straight major, didnt do anything wrong. He just didnt do enough right to make up a six-shot deficit. Fowler played without a bogey, made three birdies on the last four holes and shot 67. "He played awesome," Fowler said. "And it was just kind of fun to throw a few shots at him coming. To see him win was pretty cool." It was the first time two straight majors were won wire to wire. Martin Kaymer did it last month at Pinehurst No. 2, taking the U.S. Open by eight shots. McIlroy, who finished at 17-under 271, wasnt the only big winner Sunday. Ten years ago, his father and three of his friends each put up 100 pounds ($170) at 500-1 odds that McIlroy would win the British Open before he turned 26. The kid made good on the best with a brand of golf that had him marked early as golfs next great player. McIlroy moved up to No. 2 in the world, perhaps on his way to regaining the No. 1 ranking that once looked as if it would be his for years. He ended the 2012 season by winning his second major and capturing the money title on the PGA Tour and European Tour. Since then, the road has been bumpier than some of the dunes at Hoylake. McIlroy signed a megadeal with Nike and switched out all his equipment. He changed management for the second time, leading to lawsuits that are still to be decided. And after getting engaged to Caroline Wozniacki on New Years Eve, he abruptly broke off the engagement in May with a telephone call. His path to victory in The Open was much smoother. McIlroy made back-to-back bogeys on the front nine and had to save par from a pot bunker to avoid a third. But he steadied himself with a birdie on the par-3ninth, and when Garcia made a 10-foot eagle ahead of him on the 10th to cut the lead to two, McIlroy answered with a two-putt birdie. Garcia blinked when he could least afford it, leaving a shot in the bunker at No. 15 as McIlroy watched from the tee. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., tied for 32nd place after shooting a 71. Jim Furyk was among four players who tied the course record with a 65 to finish fourth. Tiger Woods was long gone. He finished his 75 as McIlroy was still on the practice range. Woods finished 69th -- his worst finish over 72 holes in any major -- and wound up 23 shots behind, his largest deficit ever in a major. Logan Couture Jersey . For Bergevin, the best pick is the 30th — which traditionally goes to the Stanley Cup winner. "Thats our goal. Joel Ward Jersey . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/customized/ . This was one of them. Omar Infante homered and tied a career high with six RBIs to carry the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 on Sunday.A late goal by Carlyle Mitchell wasnt enough for Vancouver Whitecaps FC to avoid their second straight 2-1 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday morning at the Kino Sports Complex. Down 2-0, the Trinidadian defender brought the Caps to within one goal after heading in a Nicolas Mezquida corner in the 78th minute. Vancouver nearly equalized moments later, when Uruguayan midfielder Sebastien Fernandez released Darren Mattocks into the Sounders 18-yard-box, but the Jamaicans left-footed effort trickled just wide of the post as Whitecaps FCs comeback bid fell just short. "Winning and losing is a fine line," said head coach Carl Robinson. "You saw today that it was pretty even game. They took their two chances, we ended up scoring and missing a penalty and getting a chance in the last minute and we lose the game. Its preseason … Im not really focused on results at the moment. Im focused on fitness and also on combinations." Unlike Vancouvers first two preseason matches in Casa Grande, Sundays contest in Tucson was made up of three 30-minute periods rather than two halves. The Caps went with an experienced squad again on Sunday, with players like David Ousted, Jay DeMerit, and Nigel Reo-Coker making their second straight starts. Right back Steven Beitashour also made his first start as a member of Whitecaps FC and midfielder Russell Teibert made his first appearance of the preseason. The 21-year-old Canadian, who played in a holding midfielder position alongside Reo-Coker, was lively throughout the opening 45 minutes in defending and attacking positions. Melker Karlsson Jersey. After a fairly uneventful opening 20 minutes, in which Whitecaps FC looked comfortable in possession, Seattle broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute on the strength of a Kevin Parsemain volley from the top of the box. Teibert had Vancouvers best chance to even the match in the 38th, as he took to the penalty spot after Hurtado was hauled down, only to see his attempt sail over the goal. Despite the miss, the Caps manager said he liked what he saw from the young Canadian. "I thought he was great," said Robinson. "He wanted the ball all the time, he was dropping deep to get on the ball, and he was spraying passes. I thought it was a very positive performance from Russell." Andy Rose scored the eventual winner for Sounders FC in the 50th minute. In the build-up, Sean Okoli headed a Chad Barrett cross across goal to the near post, where Rose headed it in past a sprawling Marco Carducci. The Caps will return to Casa Grande on Sunday, where a number of Vancouvers trialists and recent draft picks will play a scrimmage against Indy Eleven on Monday, before flying back to Vancouver on Wednesday. Their next preseason match is set for Sunday, February 16 against the University of Victoria Vikes at Centennial Stadium. NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Cheap Jerseys From China Discount NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Black Jerseys ' ' '