The rise of 'SuperMac' Rory McIlroy signals arrival of new star
By winning his third major title at the age of just 25, the Northern Irishman has proven that he is the true heir apparent to Tiger Woods
For those in the know from his earliest years in Holywood outside Belfast, it was just a matter of time before Rory McIlroy joined the ranks of golfing greats like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
Like Woods, he was a child prodigy. Young McIlroy hit a 40-yard drive at the age of two and entertained visitors by repeatedly chipping balls from the end of his parents' hallway into the drum of their washing machine. He was featured on television.
His father Gerry and four of his dad's friends even bet £100 (HK$1,324) in 2005 at odds of 500-1 that the then 15-year old talent would become Open champion before he turned 26.
If he can find that consistency level over the next few years, he's going to win a boatload of these majors
On Sunday at Hoylake, just over the sea from Northern Ireland, that crystal globe-like foresight paid dividends as McIlroy romped away to win his first Open Championship.
In so doing he became just the third player in golfing history - after Nicklaus and Woods - to win three of golf's four majors by the age of 25.
And all eyes will now be turned on Augusta National next April and the Masters where McIlroy will have the chance to become just the sixth player to win all four of the majors alongside Woods, Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.