BBC commentator left 'shaking his head' after Rory McIlroy moment at PGA Championship

After winning the and the Masters, has a chance to continue a stellar year with victory at the . It's the only major which he has already won twice, and that first victory - way back in 2012 - left commentators stunned.

McIlroy wias barely 23 years old when he teed off for his opening round at Kiawah Island in August 2012. By the end of the weekend, though, he was celebrating the second major of his career after a triumph in 2011.

The Northern Irishman ended the first round one stroke off the lead, with Sweden's out in front. Pettersson remained joint-leader after a tricky day two, with McIlroy falling a further shot behind, but the weekend belonged to one man only.

McIlroy's Saturday round was interrupted by adverse weather conditions, but when he got back out on course he rallied to end the day three shots clear of the field. A few rivals might have held out hope of catching him on the Sunday but he ended up blowing the field away, .

Jay Townsend was part of the BBC's broadcasting team for the event, and was blown away by McIlroy's final round heroics. "Amazing, a headshakingly amazing performance by Rory McIlroy,"

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"He did everything that was asked off him, he was up there from the first round and then was absolutely dominant at the weekend. He blew the field away," Townsend continued.

"The pressure will be off him now. A lot of people have won one major, he has won two now. It might just open up the floodgates and let his talents flow. It will be a great year to watch him playing now. This takes him back to number one, and convincingly so."

McIlroy wasn't able to add another major in 2013, with his best result seeing him tied for eighth at the US PGA. He did win the event again in 2014, though, also coming out on top at the Open at Royal Liverpool.

Those results left him just one Masters win away from a Career Grand Slam. It's been a long wait to get the job done, but he finally managed it in 2025 after beating Justin Rose in a play-off at Augusta.

Next up is a shot at a third US PGA title, at a course McIlroy knows very well. This year's championship is being played at Quail Hollow, where he has four PGA Tour victories already, and he will be the man to beat over the weekend.

McIlroy returned to action last week after a short break, playing the Truist Championship in Pennsylvania. He ended up in a tie for seventh place, with Austria's Sepp Straka ending the weekend in top spot.