Rory McIlroy won his first Open title at Royal Liverpool this evening, finishing two shots clear of the field for his third Major crown at the age of 25.
Despite the chasing pack all carding better scores than McIlroy's one-under 71 today, his six-shot overnight lead proved too good for the likes of Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to catch.
Garcia was the Northern Irishman's biggest threat all afternoon, but saw his challenge peter out after he fluffed his lines in a greenside bunker on the 15th.
In the end, Garcia (66) and Fowler (67) finished in a tie for second place on 15-under-par, two behind McIlroy's 17-under winning score.
Garcia has now finished as runner-up four times at a Major, while Fowler has come in the top five at The Masters, US Open and Open this year.
Jim Furyk (-13) finished in fourth place on his own, with Australian duo Adam Scott and Marc Leishman in a tie for fifth on 12-under.
McIlroy becomes the third man in the Masters era to win three Majors before the age of 26. The only other two to do are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. His other successes came at the 2011 US Open and 2012 USPGA Championship.
This week he led the tournament from start to finish after shooting rounds of 66, 66 and 68 on the opening three days.
