Bear Trap, Yang's Win Overshadowed By Rory's T-13th
Well-placed sources tell me there is a small wager floating around out and hinging on when I would actually admit the error of my ways in daring to highlight the British/Irish/Scottish press obsession with 19-year-old phenom Rory McIlroy, even though young Rory himself has admirably and humbly downplayed his place in the game.
But to put this bet to rest and give the people what they want...I was wrong. He is an immense talent. Soon to rival Tiger Woods and establish himself as the greatest rival yet to the world No. 1.
This conclusion was reached in part by reading John Huggan's excellent profile in the newly redesigned (and I must say much more handsome Golf World), which I leaned on for moral support while suffering through today's Honda Classic final round. This annual must-see on the golfing calendar was embellished by a nauseating Jack and Johnny Mutual Admiration Society session, an NBC feature on Kenny G playing sax to sick kids (like they haven't been through enough?), and an excess of praise for a golf course with one-too-many fountains. Though I was pleased to see the an excellent feature on Erik Compton's brutal journey and fascinated to hear that the economic collapse has even halted Nicklaus Design operations to the point that Jack is out playing member events at Augusta and Seminole.
Sorry, I'm procrastinating. Sorry seems to be the hardest word.
I simply must tip my cap to the scribes for predicting Rory's emergence. I'm sorry for doubting your foresight and wisdom. For young Rory to beat most of the field and only lose to the likes of Y.E. Yang, John Rollins, Ben Crane, Jeff Klauk, Scott Piercy and D.A. Points points to a level of greatness that I simply failed to spot. I was wrong.
Hope that settles the bet!
Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 08:39 PM
Reader Comments (38)
What is it that you spotted with your "hawkeye"? Is the other eye not working? The sarcastic spittle was reserved, it appears, for the press, not the player. Old Geoff is simply returning fire to a press that bases a fair amount of its writing on bombast and embellishment, dare I say hyperbole? I dare.
I particularly liked the part of the broadcast when Jack said Johnny was a good fisherman. You could see Johnny's face change and the speech balloon appear (..."but I won majors too, you know, and I shot 63"...) I think Jack was being a bit of a bitch.
It's not even remotely worth discussing who is better.
"Waaay better than Woods at 19."
You have to be on the smack, mate.
Geoff, You know I've been a loyal follower of this blog for years, but that line might be the best ever. You still got it.
At least you came right out and said it Geoff. I have to admit that I am sipping my coffee and knowingly thinking 'told ya'
None of us fans of Rory are at the point of establishing a church in his name but we admire his talent, we admire his attitude and we recognise that he is just a kid from 'round our way' who is incredibly good at what he does. Your comments concerning his non invite to the Northern Trust were made in ignorance and you should have done a little more research.
He was getting plenty of tv coverage and the bottom line is that without this friendly fresh faced kid, the tour could get stuck with the type of player who refuses autographs and interviews and is generally surly. Camillo Villegas anyone?
The only one who has won a major is Paddy. The rest, it appears, make a ton of money finishing in the top 10 and attaining suspiciously high World Golf Rankings. I see lots of lambos and bentlys but few wins. I see mansions at wentworth and lake nona but few wins.
Rory MAY be a world beater, but can we please wait for a year or two so he can at least catch up with AK and Camillo? Please?
But I'll give that to you - Rory is much better than Tiger at 19. Thing is, by 21, Tiger was better than anyone in the world, by a pretty big margin. I give Rory 1:1,000,000 odds on being better than Tiger Woods in 2 years. And I think that's being generous.
Nothing against the guy--I'd love to see another player as great as Tiger, and I'll happily root for Rory to do so. But realistically...I just don't think we'll see it. While I don't wish it on him, statistically I'd say Rory is more likely to follow Justin Rose's trajectory than Tiger Woods's.
When Rory turns 21, he will not change the face of golf like Tiger did.
Nice young guy, hope he wins loads - but he ain't Tiger and he ain't even close, not will he get close.
He'll get Ian Poulter close. That's how close he'll get. A fancy car, silly hair, Ryder Cups, European Tour wins (maybe five) - but piss all else.
Unfortunately, this is just the start of the hype.
To me Rory looks like another Adam Scott. Looks great, until the moment of truth comes.
Having met the kid, he is a terrific young man with a beautiful game and fresh personality who I hope will become a star on the world stage and win majors. How many? Who knows. Nobody is likely to ever be the next Tiger, but guys like McIlroy are the ones we hope can at least give him a challenge now and again. Isn't that enough? Trevino, Watson, Seve, Norman, Faldo ... none of them ever caught up with Jack in major wins. But they were all great golfers and damn fun to watch compete (well, maybe not Faldo).
So let's end this silly snarking and just watch the kid grow up and see what he does. I think we all might enjoy the show.
And if Rory one day stands out in a sea of failed challengers, let's just say you can't spell "sorry" without "rory."
See Ronald, that's one thing I spotted, which you didn't. The sarcastic remarks were perhaps intended for the press only (I wrote as much, but you managed to miss that too), but they stilll managed to hit a well-mannered 19-year-old.
"Better than Tiger at 19? Are you being serious? Honestly, look at what Tiger Woods achieved till he hit 19 and compare it to Rory."
Satch, Tiger's best showing in a pro tournament at 19 - and he had played quite a few by that time - was a T41 at The Masters, where he spent the week airmailing greens by 30 yards with Pitching Wedges. Was he World top 20 material at that stage? I don't think so.
Look, I'm one of Tiger's biggest fans, I'm allergic to hype, and I too laughed hard at the Kenny G line. But don't let the dirt thrown at overzealous British writers spill over on innocent teenagers. Rory's got a lot to prove, but let him prove it without having to fend off media backlash. That's all I'm saying.
BTW, re: the U.S. Am, see Jack's comments about the quality of that win. He compares them to majors. And last time I checked, Jack has bit more credibility than you on the topic. ;)
No problem with praising the player or his performance.
Big problem with forecasts of things to come.
Re: US Am
Like single major wins, single US Am wins mean litle.
Multiple/consecutive wins (major or Am) are another matter.
Re: Geoff
Let's not force his blog to be all serious.
Many appreciate humor - even Geoff's [:-}
How many has Rory won?
I like Rory. He's a great kid and will be a great player. Nobody wants to 'downgrade' him in any way, but overhyping him and saying he's "waaay better" than Tiger is laughable. I still remember the American press fizzing over Adam Scott as Tiger's greatest challenger.
But I don't agree that Americans have a habit of "completely rubbishing everything that happens in the rest of the world." Quite the opposite, I think, as Americans - well, the American media, that is - are constantly telling us how inferior we are to the rest of the world...culturally, politically, etc.
And we've been pretty supportive of U2, The Beatles, Sting, and Maurice Chevalier. ;-)