Monday, June 20, 2011

Rory! Rory! Rory!

Without doubt, the news from the week-end was Rory McIlroy's tremendous win at the U.S Open. 4 rounds of under par and leading from start to finish, we haven't been witnessing this kind of dominant display for a long time. Soon enough, the questions abound as to how many more Majors is he going to win, and more importantly how does he and Tiger compare. Basically, what is the expectation of the Irish man?

It is often said that the first Major is the most difficult to get, and the floodgates open soon after that. Phil Mickleson was the ridicule of many for years before he finally ended his Major drought. Since his breakthrough, he has gotten a few more. When Rory came close in the 3 Majors before this year's US Open, particularly after his collapse in the final round of the Masters, there was little doubt in everyone's minds that he had this mental barrier to overcome first; would he close Majors like Greg Norman or like Tiger? The resounding answer now, is that maybe neither. He blew the opposition from the gates like Frankel did in the Guineas!

With this first win, can he aspire to many more to levels of Tiger and Nicklaus? It's very much too early to say even though age-wise, he has gotten very much a head-start. The thing with Tiger is that winning the most majors has been his almost-singular goal in life. It's ingrained in his DNA. Rory appears more laid-back and does not seem to have that urge to be the all-time best, at this moment. Anyway, it would seem pretentious of him, given that Tiger is still active.

Rory's domination this week-end was a pivotal moment. Before, the saying was if Tiger is playing at his best, every one else is playing for second place. The feeling now is even if Tiger plays at his best, a top-notch Rory could still outgun him. 2 Champions, 2 contrasting styles. If Tiger can get his old form back or be even better, this new rivalry could be worth its pot of gold.

2 comments:

  1. McIlroy’s performance at the U.S. Open was truly amazing! He set tournament records for the lowest scores after 36, 54, and 72 holes. I don’t usually watch golf, but found myself tuned to the final two rounds over the weekend. It will be interesting to see what this victory will do for the rest of his career.

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  2. Thanks for your comments Steve. Just thinking that players were mentioning before the event that the winning score will be close to -4 and over, and Rory finished in negative double digits; he just destroyed the course. Great talent and I sure hope it's just the beginning of a long Major haul for him. A rivalry with a top Tiger will be a pretty awesome sight.

    Cheers
    JM.

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