Rory McIlroy - The Future of Golf?

[Megatron]

Today Rory McIlroy held onto his large lead at the US Open and won his first career major, with a shocking -16, 8 shots better then runner up Jason Day. Many of you may not know this, but with this win Rory has become the youngest US Open winner since 1923 and youngest major winner since the young Tiger Woods did it in 1997. Along with those marks, he set other records such as lowest score in the tournament ever and others.

Now that he has finally reached the mountaintop, my question for you all is - can Rory become the person to take the reigns of dominance that Tiger Woods had just a few years ago and become the face of Golf? I don't wanna say that he can go out and have his own Tiger Slam, but is he a guy that can win 7 or 8 majors in the next 5-6 years and give the people a reason to watch these majors, like Woods was in the last decade? While it sounds like a far-fetched idea, consider this:

-He's only 22 years old.
-He's 8th in the World Golf Rankings (and will go up after this win)
-He's has 3 additional top 3 finishes in majors (PGA in 09, 10; Open in 10)
-He had the lead going into the final round of this years Masters before collapsing to finish T-15th.

So consider he's been in contention in all of the last 4 majors, and is only bound to get better, are we seeing the development of the new face of golf? Or is he just one of the flashes in the pan that had a good week and won't be much of a factor again (such as Zach Johnson, Trevor Immelman, and Todd Hamilton)?

While I don't think he'll be nearly as dominant as Tiger was (since he was ridiculously great) I think Rory could be a guy that people can get behind and draw a following from. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if he retired with a nice handful of majors in his trophycase.

So what do you guys think of Rory McIlroy?

 

[Big Sexy]

This weekend he definitely put on a Tigeresque performance and he is also extremely young at 22. He obviously has a ton of talent as well so there is a lot that he has going for him. However, it is a lot easier to be the young guy everybody thinks has a chance to be the next big thing then to actually go out and do it. It's tougher being at the top because it adds a lot of pressure. Rory folded under that pressure at the Masters and this weekend he never really had anyone close to him so that made it a bit easier for him.

At the end of the day this was an amazing performance but it is just one tournament. We're going to need to see more of McIlroy before anyone can crown him as the next big thing. He has all of the physical tools now we just need to see if he can handle the mental aspect consistently.

 

[Барбоса]

Time will tell if Rory can live up the expectations that will now be heaped upon him after what was perhaps the best performance in a major championship ever.

I think he has all the tools to match and maybe even surpass Tiger as a player. As far as I am concerned, Rory's swing is better than Tiger's ever has been. There is more rhythm and style to it as well as an economy of movement that should allow Rory to remain injury free. Tiger is now paying the price for having such a vicious swing that puts so much strain on his joints.

The only area of his game that I think Rory might not match Tiger is putting. Now, Rory was phenomenal on the greens this passed week but it was his putting all week at Augusta that was a major problem. If he does manage to sort that out in the long term, there will be many majors to come.

The other area in which I think that Rory could surpass Tiger is as a global superstar. Woods relied almost completely on his success to bring him fame because let's face it he can be a poor sportsman with his spitting and swearing on the course and at times comes off as a horrible person that rarely gives anything approaching a candid or entertaining interview. And that is before we even begin to look at his off-course antics.

Rory on the other hand is completely different. He is not a product of the American college system that can sometimes confer an idea of privilege, being instead a "true" amateur turned professional from a working class family. His interviews are always impressive for such a young man, particularly how he refused to shy away from the cameras after his Masters meltdown. Success also has not changed him as he has become an ambassador for UNICEF and has travelled to Haiti in that role. Time will tell if he can keep it up as Northern Ireland sportstars do not have the best record of being able to deal with the limelight and the fame that comes with it

 

[Johnny Scumm]

The answer to your question? Most Definitely.

If you watched him play at the Masters not so long ago, apart from the last day, he was nearly a sure fire cert to win. Unfortunately, he threw it away and just lost it. However, the US Open is just another talking topic when it comes to McIlroy. I spoke to him on Twitter about a year & a half ago, asking if he ever thought he would become the next Tiger Woods. He actually replied, saying "Never in a million years". However, only a year and a half later, I think he is the new Tiger Woods. Only good is left to come for him.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Rory has the game to dominate golf for a very long time, the only question about him is his temperament. Much talk has surrounded the Holywood ace's first three days at Augusta but I feel a true reflection of the spirit of the young man was at the Open Championship at St Andrews last year after an opening round 63, the pressure got to him and he slumped to a second round 80. Instead of just retreating into his shell at this point, he rallied and posted third and final round scores of 69 and 68 to finish in a respectable tied 3rd. The only one of the last four Majors that Rory hasn't finished in the top 3 is the Masters.

As far as the self destructive nature of past Northern Ireland legends like Higgins and Bestie, initial signs are good. Some of my family work close to Holywood and have become friends with neighbours of Rory's family and he is meant to be a very grounded and humble guy with a sensible and down to earth family unit. No one can ever truly know but I think he's set in this respect.

He has the skills and the heart to surpass Tiger, the only lingering question is his nerve. I think he will overcome this and I believe his good natured rivalry with G-Mac will be a huge influence. All in all, it's not looking bad for our wee country.