Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus— two preeminent names on a list of four players 22-year old Rory McIlroy eclipsed at 111th US Open this weekend with a record-setting 72-hole total of 268.
The performance was thorough wire-to-wire devastation, a kid making one of golf’s greatest challenges look like a round of put-put. At 22 years-old He broke dozens of records en route to becoming the youngest Open winner since Bobby Jones at 21 won in 1923.
Because of his outing, as well as his promising showings at the 2010 British Open and 2011 Masters, McIlroy has been anointed as golf’s next great thing— the heir to the throne of Woods and Nicklaus. Now, many fans are tuning in to see whether or not the young man from Northern Ireland can give professional golf what it has been missing since the unraveling of Woods 2009— a bona fide superstar.
One majors win does not a sports legend make, but there is not much to dislike about Rory McIlroy. He may not be an American, but his humble, happy-go-lucky demeanor resonated with the crowd at Congressional screaming Rory-Rory-Rory as the young professional made his way down the 18th fairway, the win sealed.
McIlroy was introduced to golf at an early age by his father Gerry— on hand for Father’s Day as his son cruised to victory. According to his personal website, McIlroy recorded a 40-yard drive at just two-years-old and his first hole-in-one at nine. He became touted as a teen prodigy after playing in his first professional European Tour event at 16.
The talent for McIlroy has always been there. Even his competitors have taken notice to the immense promise he presents both as a golfer and admired competitor. ‘‘The good thing about Rory is that he’s a great guy,’’ said runner-up Jason Day. ‘‘So it’s a hard guy to hate. He’s a really, really great bloke.’
Three time major champion Padraig Harrington lauded the manner in which McIlroy dominated the competition. ‘‘I think this is what makes a difference: There might be people capable of winning a major, but there’s not too many people capable of dominating and running away from the field in a major.”
Nevertheless, McIlroy is still the same player who blew the lead at the Masters only weeks ago. He is not invincible, or even the most feared player on the tour. However, he exploded into the discussion last weekend with one of most dominating performances in the history of the majors.
His play coupled with his age, attitude, and raw-talent are breathing life into the world of golf that has been searching for an answer to Tiger Woods since 2009. The reins are now in the hands of young Irishman, Rory McIlroy, and the world will wait to see what he does next.
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