Kiawah Island, SC (Sports Network) - Rory McIlroy made everyone else a footnote on Sunday.

People generally don't remember who finishes second in these types of romps.

Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez shared second at the 2000 U.S. Open Tiger Woods won by 15.

Jason Day took second to McIlroy last year at the U.S. Open.

This time around, the honor goes to David Lynn.

Never heard of him?

It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Lynn played for the first time in the United States this week. Sure, he finished eight shots out of first, but Lynn got a runner-up and an invitation to Augusta National for next year's Masters.

"It's almost, seeing Augusta as many times as I have, it's like I know the place and I've never even been there," said Lynn. "So actually go and get to experience it is going to be amazing and something I'm really going to look forward to."

Lynn got an invitation into the field.

"The phone call came the Tuesday the week before, so I flew out on, I got the phone call on the Tuesday and then flew out on the Sunday," said Lynn.

This was Lynn's second performance in a major championship. He made the cut at the 2003 Open Championship at Sandwich.

"So I've never missed the cut in a major," he said.

Lynn has one European Tour title and that came at the 2004 KLM Open.

"I'd have to put my win as my best thing I've ever experienced and achieved, but I could argue for a different reason why this would be the best thing I've ever done, as well.

"To come and perform the way I have this week in a major is still very special and is, it's a great achievement. It's not sunk in properly yet to be honest."

U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM ALMOST FINALIZED

The eight automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup team were finalized on Sunday and no one from the outside at the start of the week was able to crack the top eight.

Tiger Woods had a spot mathematically wrapped up before the tournament started. Jason Dufner and Bubba Watson secured their places once they made the cut.

"Looking forward to the experience. Looking forward to getting after it out there toward the end of the summer," said Dufner.

"It means a lot," said Watson. "Any time you can put the stars and stripes on your sleeve and play some golf, this is the closest I'll get to the military, so for me it's about representing our country and playing some golf and hopefully win it."

Everyone else could've theoretically been knocked off the team.

They weren't.

Keegan Bradley, who shared third, made his first team, followed by U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson, who missed the cut at Kiawah, but made his first team as well.

Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson held the final spots.

Mickelson was in danger with Bo Van Pelt and Steve Stricker lurking high on the leaderboard Sunday. Both needed very high finishes to bounce Mickelson from eighth and neither did enough.

Stricker shared seventh, while Van Pelt tied for 18th.

American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III will make his four captain's picks in three weeks. One would have to expect Stricker and Van Pelt to be contenders for picks. Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, all former Ryder Cuppers, would probably also be under consideration.

* McIlroy became the sixth-youngest player ever to win two major championships. He also reached that number four months earlier than Tiger Woods did.

* McIlroy ended a stretch of 16 different major winners in the last 16 majors. He captured the 2011 U.S. Open by a whopping eight shots and did so on Sunday. That broke Jack Nicklaus' 1980 tournament record for largest margin of victory by a stroke.

* McIlroy reclaimed No. 1 in the world rankings.

* Seung-Yul Noh fired the low round of the championship on Sunday with a 7- under 65. He tied for 21st at even-par.

* The hardest hole in the final round was the par-4 10th, which played to an average of 4.33. The most difficult hole for the championship was the par-4 13th, which played to an average of 4.38.

* The easiest hole in the final round was the par-5 seventh, which played to an average of 4.48. The easiest for the week was the par-5 16th, which allowed 157 birdies for the tournament.

* Next year's PGA Championship will be at Oak Hill Country Club's East Course in Rochester, N.Y. The last time Oak Hill hosted, Shaun Micheel won the title in 2003.

The Sports Network