- It may have been a two shot victory, but it was honestly never that close. Rory McIlroy did what he has down twice before in his career - outclassed a field in a major. He didn't put his foot on the pedal like he did at the 2011 US Open or the 2012 PGA Championship, but when he wins majors, he dominates them.
- Rory McIlroy is now among the group who have won three of the four majors in their career. He's 25 years old, making him the third youngest player to do so. We don't have a replacement for Tiger Woods, considering he was at a record breaking, historic level when he was in his prime, but Rory may be as close as we're going to get.
- Rickie Fowler has finished in the top 5 in three consecutive majors. Let that sink in a little bit. The most consistent performer in a major in 2014 is Rickie Fowler. It reminds me of Jason Day's performances last year, where he finished in the top 10 in three major but couldn't come close in any other event. That usually means A) you're next victory is around the corner, and B) you're putting so much energy and focus in the majors that the other events don't mean as much to you. Look for Fowler to pick up a win in the playoffs, when the major season is over and he can focus on winning the FedEx Cup.
- Will Sergio Garcia ever win a major? This week convinced me that he will, sometime soon, get that monkey off his back. There were a couple of mistakes that he made throughout the week that prevented him from winning the tournament, but he was able to hang in there on Sunday and make things somewhat exciting, and I think that will go a long way towards giving Sergio come confidence to put him over the top.
- This year broke a streak of 40-somethings who won the Open Championship, but Jim Furyk gave it his all to continue that streak. Furyk's last victory was the 2010 Tour Championship, which is a shame considering how close he has been in the four years since. If he could have cashed in on just one of those top 10 he has had in majors, he would be a sure fire Hall of Fame inductee.
- What is the bigger story coming from the Open Championship - Tiger Woods' bad weekend to send him towards the bottom of the field, or Tom Watson making yet another cut at the age of 64? In my opinion, it's obviously Watson. Tiger was coming in with very little expectations. His first round where he shot three under was almost a detriment to him - it got people remembering the kind of player Tiger was and could still be. Tiger finished four rounds, which is a plus, and now we know he's healthy and just needs to play more rounds. Tom Watson, meanwhile, continues to roll back the clock. Next year is supposedly his last at the Open Championship. On one end, it's going to be incredibly sad to see him go, especially if he keeps making cuts. On another, I'd rather see him walk away when he's playing well then see him as a ceremonial golfer.
- You think winning three majors at 25 is amazing? How about winning four times on the LPGA Tour at the age of 17? That's what Lydia Ko accomplished yesterday by firing a final round 65 that was brilliant on all fronts. From here on out, I have no reason to ever doubt Ko. She's the second best player out tour (next to Stacy Lewis), she has consistency, she's able to win when the pressure is on - she has it all. This isn't a matter of potential anymore. This is a matter of just being great.
- I'm done writing about So Yeon Ryu. Until she wins again, I'm going to refrain from putting her on my Fantasy Four team, from mentioning her in my recap; from here on out, this is a Ryu-free blog. Hopefully I was jinxing her, and removing her from my blog will get her that long awaited third win.
- The knock on Mo Martin after winning the Women's British Open was that it came out of the blue. She never contended before, and she only had one other top 10 prior to her victory. She can eliminate that criticism now, as she was able to notch a top 10 finish despite the whirlwind week she went through. A lot of people are saying that Martin is going to falter away and never be heard from again. Maybe her major championship was what Martin needed to start becoming a consistent contender.
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