The much maligned 8th ranked player in the world, Rory McIlroy, began with a vengeance in the first two rounds of the US Open to take a commanding lead into the weekend. And what do I mean by “much maligned?” I mean that McIlroy has been unfairly and undeservingly stereotyped as a “one-hit” wonder after his collapse at the 2011 Masters. McIlroy shot 80 on Sunday at Augusta, coughing up a commanding lead that he had entering the day. Admittedly, the round was tough to watch, and the kid looked overwhelmed and overmatched that day.
However, that doesn’t mean that he is or will be a “one-hit wonder.” Many pundits that don’t understand the game or its players foreshadowed a future in which Rory would be remembered as “that guy who was leading the Masters that one time.” Others wondered if his meltdown would produce mental scar tissue that would prevent him from competing at the highest level in the majors. To just about every ESPN sports analyst (aside from Andy North), I’m talking about you.
Boy were they wrong. And most intelligent golf analysts knew it. If they didn’t, they should have known it. Rory is the best player in the world right now. The World Golf Rankings say differently, but as I’ve said many times before, if I had to pick one guy to play 18 holes, I’d pick McIlroy to shoot the low score. Without even thinking about it.
McIlroy set multiple US Open records this week. In the history of the US Open, he is the 2nd player to finish at -10 or better in the first 2 rounds and has recorded the lowest score to par…ever (-13). He also is the quickest player to hit -10 (26 holes) and has the lowest 2 round stroke total (131).
Does that sound like a kid who is a “one-hit wonder” or “has significant mental scar tissue?” Not quite. Granted, he will need to continue to prove himself on the weekend, but the kid is back. He will be back for a long time, so all the Rory critics will need to deal with it. He has the game to win double digit majors, and has the best pure game in the world right now. His two round performance this week has been as good or better than any two consecutive rounds Tiger Woods has produced in a major championship (that’s right). Of course, Rory still has a long journey to accomplish Tiger Woods status, but he has the game and tools necessary to begin that journey.
The journey starts tomorrow, Saturday at the US Open, with an opportunity to make everyone forget about Sunday at Augusta.
McIlroy really showed the critics yesterday what he’s all about. He looked poised the whole time and even when he was up by 8-9 strodes on Yang and Day, he wanted to make history and strive for nothing short of perfection. It was really a treat to watch and he’s only 22 meaning the best has yet to come for him!