Now that Rory McIlroy has won his third Major, his next goal is to claim his first World Golf Championships title this week at the Bridgestone Invitational. In developmental terms, it is as if McIlroy had figured out how to run before he could walk.
It is what makes his career so much fun to track. McIlroy is either going full speed ahead or falling on his behind. He is ideally suited to win over the next generation of fans.
Jim Furyk, who played collegiate golf in the shadow of Phil Mickelson, then watched Tiger Woods play through, said of McIlroy: "When he's on, he hits it so far and so straight with a driver that I think a lot of the other players look and marvel and say, 'Jeez, it can't be that hard from way up there.'"
Back down
"I think he's got a lot of guts," added Furyk. "He's got a lot of confidence in himself, a lot of ability. He doesn't back down."
In the autumn of Tiger Woods, what more could golf ask for than a marquee player like McIlroy, who has Arnold Palmer’s aggression, Jack Nicklaus’ competitiveness and Barbara Nicklaus’ honesty?
In his first news conference since leaving Hoylake with the Claret Jug, McIlroy, 25, spoke of giving up the game for three days at 16 after finding no joy in winning an amateur event.
“Just an impulsive teenager going through hormonal issues,” McIlroy said, eliciting laughter. After praising his parents for their equanimity in the face of his impetuousness, McIlroy added: “There was no panic. It was just me being a grumpy teenager.”
McIlroy did not get cranky or grow defensive when confronted with the notion, put forth by Woods and others, that as hard as he is to beat at his best, his game is prone to long stretches of mediocrity. “Everyone goes through their ups and downs,” McIlroy said.
He added: “I’m not afraid of my inconsistencies. It’s something that I actually quite welcome, and I know that my good is very good and my bad can sometimes be very bad. At the end of the day, it all levels out.”
In truth, the inconsistent play that characterised McIlroy’s season in 2013, when he withdrew from one PGA Tour event and missed the cut at the British Open, is a memory.
Since October, McIlroy has not missed a cut in a PGA Tour event (he did miss the weekend at the Irish Open in Fota Island), and his worst result on the US Tour was a tie for 25th. In one six-week stretch beginning in April, he posted four top-eight finishes.
“There’s plenty of players that would like to be as inconsistent as me,” McIlroy said, his dulcet tone smoothing over the harsh truthfulness of his words. He has the gift of being able to exude confidence without appearing cocky.
He made it clear that he had no intention of coasting the rest of the year, as he did, however subconsciously, after his eight-stroke victory in the 2011 US Open.
“I could have taken the rest of 2011 off and been totally happy,” he said. “Winning the first one is just sort of a relief, especially how I did it.”
With a victory this week, McIlroy can overtake Adam Scott.
“It’s great to be introduced as the Open champion,” McIlroy said, “but I need to move on from that and say I’ve got a lot more golf left this year and I want to achieve a lot more.”
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods was in typically bullish mood as he looked ahead last night to the two events which will define his season. Woods has played just two tournaments since undergoing back surgery in March.
Eight times
Woods has won eight times in Akron, cruising to a seven-shot victory last year, while he won the US PGA at Valhalla in 2000 after a three-hole play-off with Bob May.
However, he needs to reproduce similar kinds of results in the next fortnight simply to make the FedEx Cup play-offs and give himself four extra tournaments to boost his case for one of US captain Tom Watson’s three Ryder Cup wild cards.
“I would like to win these next two weeks and not have to worry about anything and that’s the plan. That’s the mindset and the focus and we will see how it feels after these weeks,” said Woods.
“I am so far out of it right now that I need to play well and get myself into the play-offs and hopefully play all four weeks.
“To try to win the ninth there is no secret formula, just go out there and play well,” added Woods, who said he had been practicing every day since returning from the Open.
“There are certain venues like here, Torrey Pines and Bay Hill where no matter what my form is going into that week, I just somehow feel good.”
New York Times
