McIlroy shows his mettle in win for top spot

Rory McIlroy heard the roar and knew Tiger Woods had done something special.

The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland calmly lined up his eight-foot birdie putt and made it -- just one of the tests he passed with flying colors Sunday for a Honda Classic victory that propelled him to number one in the world golf rankings.

“I could hear the huge roar,” McIlroy said. “And it definitely wasn't a birdie roar.” The cheering was for Woods's eagle on the final hole, which momentarily pulled the 14-time major champion within one shot of McIlroy.

McIlroy made his birdie at 13 to stretch the gap back to two, and delivered a series of clutch par putts coming home to seal the victory.

“It was always a dream of mine to become the world number one and the best player in the world or whatever you want to call it,” McIlroy said.

“But I didn't know what I would be able to get here this quickly.... Hopefully, I can hold onto it for a little longer.” McIlroy, whose resume includes a record-setting US Open victory at Congressional last year, was celebrating by flying to New York to see his girlfriend.