Rory McIlroy ushers in brave new world at Congressional

In 1997 Montgomerie was heckled when he led and in tears when he lost, a bogey at the penultimate hole leaving him, as he is still today, without a major to his name.

McIlroy, another overseas invader, was cheered when he led – all week in his case – and in heaven when he won.

The 22-year-old also made bogey at the penultimate hole, but it meant nothing apart from reducing his victory margin from nine to eight and giving him a tournament record total by four rather than five.

So why the difference in how they were received?

Natural charm and youthful exuberance are part of the answer, but there is also McIlroy's Masters meltdown – his closing round of 80 in April – to take into consideration. And he admits as much himself.

Europe's youngest major champion since 1872 and, even more remarkably, Northern Ireland's second successive US Open winner said: "I think every cloud has a silver lining.

"What happened at Augusta was a great thing for me in terms of support. It's just been incredible the way people have supported me and cheered for me the whole week. It feels like a home match. To be able to have that when you come over here and feel like you're one of their own is probably going to be pretty important in the next few years."

With Phil Mickelson in his 40s and struggling at the moment and Tiger Woods losing some of his fan base after his sex scandal – and currently out injured – there could indeed be long-term implications.

Americans have not gone five majors without one of their own winning since The Masters began in 1934 and, as was the case with Seve Ballesteros in Britain, McIlroy has the character and the game to take over the popularity mantle in the States as well as the rest of the world.

As last year's champion Graeme McDowell described it, his Ryder Cup partner has been "an accident waiting to happen" on the major stage for some time.

Yet for all the talk of prodigy as a teenager – he shot 61 at Royal Portrush when he had just turned 16 – McIlroy reckons it was only 12 months ago that he believed he could do what he did these past few days.

"I think the first time that I realised it for myself was when Graeme won at Pebble," he said. "Then Louis (Oosthuizen) won at St Andrews, then Martin (Kaymer) won at Whistling Straits, then I got myself in a good position at The Masters. When Graeme won it made me realise that winning a major championship was achievable. To see a great friend like that win a major, it only inspires you to go out and emulate them."

His recovery from the nightmare that was the final day at Augusta, though, was the stuff of dreams.

"I felt like I got over The Masters pretty quickly – I kept telling you guys that and I don't know if you believed me or not. But here you go (he glanced at the trophy on the table in front of him). Nice to prove some people wrong.

"I was very honest with myself and I knew what I needed to do differently. I had a clear picture in my mind.

"And to be able to finish it off the way I did (nobody got within eight on the final day) just tells me that I learned from it and I've moved on. I can always call myself a major champion, but now I've got this I can go ahead and concentrate on getting some more."

How many more remains to be seen. Padraig Harrington considers him capable of challenging Jack Nicklaus's record 18 and The Golden Bear himself predicts great things.

But do not forget that after Woods, the player McIlroy watched more than any other growing up, took his first major title by 12 in 1997 he did not win any of his next ten.

By the age of 32, though, Woods had 14 and after the way McIlroy played at Congressional, that rate of progress up the major league is not unrealistic.

His victory makes it 11 different winners in the last 11 majors, right back to Harrington's third success at the 2008 US PGA, and the last four have all been players in their 20s. Nobody can yet be certain that the Tiger Woods era is over, but there is certainly a new wave and McIlroy is riding at the crest of it.

Montgomerie got to experience that feeling, but he is enjoying watching it now.

"I think we've run out of superlatives really – we've run out of words in the dictionary to describe how wonderful that performance was," he said in his new commentating role. "For Northern Irish golf, for British golf, for European golf to know that we're dominating the world of golf right now, we just look forward to the Open Championship and see more success."

Europe now has the top four in the world in Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Kaymer and McIlroy.

The leading two have still to taste major glory, but Donald thinks he may have the answer.

"Thinking about moving to Northern Ireland!!" he said on his Twitter site.

Among the many spin-offs is a five-year exemption on to the PGA Tour in America.

But unless the rules change, McIlroy is expected to decline – he likes Europe too much and does not want to suffer burn-out.

"He may play a few more, but I don't think he will play 15 – that's difficult," said manager Andrew Chandler, whose stable also includes the current Open and Masters champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

The two South Africans did join the circuit in the States following their victories, but McIlroy handed in his membership at the end of last season after playing 16 events.

World No?2 Lee Westwood, also managed by Chandler, is not a member either and both he and McIlroy stayed away from the PGA Tour's flagship Players Championship last month.

• Rory McIlroy is the new odds-on favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year, after Ladbrokes slashed the odds on him winning the award from 14/1 to 5/6. Second favourite is 4/1 Andy Murray (5/1 to win Wimbledon) followed by 7/1 David Haye (5/4 to beat Klitschko).

The Ulsterman is now 7/1 favourite to win The Open next month, and the bookie offers 16/1 that he breaks Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 Major wins. It is also 4/1 that he becomes world No?1 at any time in 2011.