There is a reason many expect the floodgates to open for Rory McIlroy now that he has won The Masters and ended an 11-year wait for a fifth major title.
Rory McIlroy is surely the most talented player of his generation. However, it appeared that the burden of expectation prevented the Northern Irishman from getting across the line for more than a decade.
McIlroy made an electric start to his career, winning four major titles before the age of 26. Few will forget how he blew the field away at the 2011 US Open for his first major – particularly as it came immediately after his Sunday collapse at Augusta National.
He won by eight shots at Congressional, while he would win by the same margin at the following year’s PGA Championship.
The player who finished second to Rory McIlroy on his PGA Championship debut in 2012
Interestingly, his victory at Kiawah Island was not quite as comfortable. A 75 on Friday left McIlroy two shots off the lead at the halfway stage. However, he would go into the final round three shots clear.
Meanwhile, the player who ended up finishing second to McIlroy started the final day in a tie for 10th, one shot behind Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. A 68 on Sunday however, saw him mark his PGA Championship debut by finishing as McIlroy’s closest rival.
David Lynn made his major championship debut at The Open Championship in 2003. The Englishman would finish tied for 53rd that week as Ben Curtis pulled off one of the all-time great shocks.
Lynn would not play in another major for almost nine years before he got the invite to tee it up at Kiawah Island. While his game was improving, he had not won on the European Tour since 2004.
And remarkably, Lynn confirmed after his final round 13 years ago that he had never played in a tournament in the States before that week.
“Well, I’ve never been exempt to play in anything in America, so that’s the reason why I’ve never been over here. This is a good start,” he simply replied why asked about only just making his first visit.
How David Lynn performed on the PGA Tour in 2013 following his performance at Kiawah Island
Lynn would decide to play on the PGA Tour in 2013. The high point came when he made it into a playoff at the Wells Fargo Championship, which of course, is usually played at Quail Hollow – the sight of this year’s PGA Championship. He would lose out to Derek Ernst.
Lynn would also finish tied for 26th in his one appearance at The Players Championship that same year.
The 2013 season saw the only time in Lynn’s career that he would play in three of the four majors. He never actually teed it up at the US Open. His best result that year came at the PGA Championship, once again, as he finished in a tie for 22nd as Jason Dufner won at Oak Hill.
Back on the other side of the Atlantic, Lynn secured his second and final European Tour victory in October 2013 as he won the Portugal Masters.
He would actually retire from the game at the highest level at the end of the 2014 season, going into property development.
Meanwhile, all eyes at this year’s PGA Championship will be on McIlroy. With the shackles now off, a major championship on a golf course where he has won four times previously clearly makes McIlroy the man to beat once again.
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