When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Fivethirtyeight.com's Benjamin Morris looks at a few different stats and presents graphs both fascinating and above my pay grade.
Thanks to reader Steve D for passing along a piece that asserts "McIlroy has built up one of the best starts to a career in modern golf history, essentially matching the Golden Bear through age 25, and each day Woods moves farther away from his prime."
Hard to believe being single and not jetting around the world to watch Caroline Wozniacki lose again in the first round of a tennis tournament was not a positive, but that's what Rory McIlroy says.
Derek Lawrenson reports:
‘I think what happened has been for the better in terms of my golf,’ he revealed.
‘I’ve put a bit more time into it and it has refocused me. I mean, what else do I have to do now?
'I go to the golf course, I go to the gym and it’s just my life at the minute.
'I worked pretty hard before but the past couple of months I’ve really just buried myself in my game. It obviously works pretty well, so I am going to keep doing it.’
**A few reader right complained that the Daily Mail and my headlines were a little exaggerated and I agree. Sorry for any broken links or hearts!
Appearing on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" Wednesday, Jack Nicklaus said he thinks Rory McIlroy can win 15 or 20 majors. He's raised the bar on his Rory praise in light of a win at The Open, and why not?
Bob Harig reports:
"I think Rory is an unbelievable talent," Nicklaus said. "I love his swing, I love his rhythm, I love his moxie. He's got a little swagger there, it's a little bit cocky but not offensive. I like that. I like the self-confidence in a young man. He's got an unbelievable amount of speed in his golf swing, he obviously hits the ball a heck of a long way. And he hits in there consistently and how he controls it.
"It depends on what he feels his priorities are, and that's his call. I think Rory has an opportunity to win 15 or 20 majors or whatever he wants to do if he wants to keep playing. But you just don't know what the guy's priorities are going to be in life 10 years from now."
So much for the collectibles market drying up.
Yesterday when I read Luke Kerr-Dineen's item on Rory's final Nike ball from Hoylake going up for sale at Green Jacket Auctions it was at $2852.
Now? $5558 and going up with the bidding ending August 9th.
If you were thinking of bidding and sending me the ball for Christmas, I'd prefer some more nostalgic stuff from the auction.
This painting would look nice in my office. Or this set of Tom Stewart irons would look mighty spiffy in my bag. Just thinking out loud.
As the trainers start prepping unis and lockers for the arrival of NFL stars (that's a cover!), July is close enough to NFL Training Camp Preview time that the first of this year's six Johnny Manziel covers could have been used.
But mercifully Sports Illustrated appears to have remembered their heritage of great Open Championship covers and put Rory McIlroy on the front of the "book."
Thomas Lovelock has captured him looking trim and very 21st century.
Ed Sherman thought the cover took a jab at the PGA Championship by already hyping next year's Masters and Rory's run at the career Grand Slam.
Michael David Murphy has spliced together all but one of Rory McIlroy's final round shots at Royal Liverpool en route to The Open Championship victory.
The tape...
James Corrigan of the Telegraph on Rory McIlroy's celebratory Sunday that rolled into Monday.
It included some high profile participants and a use of the Claret Jug as a jug:
McIlroy celebrated winning his third major – which also happened to be, uniquely, his third different major – in an appropriate fashion for a 25-year-old on Sunday evening/Monday morning. After all the media commitments and socialising with the members and staff of Royal Liverpool and the R&A alike, McIlroy did not leave the course until 9.30pm.
A quick dinner at the rented house he shared with his parents, Gerry and Rosie, and friends including his ‘bestest’, Harry Diamond, and it was into an exclusive Liverpool nightclub where he met up Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth. It was there where the 30-strong group had their fun with the jug, substituting claret with the German liqueur popular on the younger scene.
Alex Myers at The Loop on Rory's history with the dark spirit in question.
Phil Mickelson recently admitted to using the jug as a decanter for some rather pricey wine.
Ewan Murray of the Guardian on Rory dedicating his win to his mother, in attendance for the first time at one of his major victories.
Murray writes:
Rory McIlroy dedicated his Open Championship victory to his mother, Rosie, after claiming the Claret Jug by two shots at Hoylake. The Northern Irishman, who has now won three major titles, was embraced by his mother after holing the winning putt. At 17 under par McIlroy saw off the challenge of Sergio García and Rickie Fowler, who tied second, with a final round of 71.
“This is the first major I have won when my mum has been here,” McIlroy said. “So mum; this one is for you. It was just great to see her on the back of the 18th there and how much it meant to her. I was trying not to cry at the time because she was bawling her eyes out.
“The Open is the one we all want and the one we strive for. To be holding the Claret Jug is an incredible feeling.”
Brian Keogh on mum's presence and the Masters as the next conquest.
Now the little boy who used to wake his mother up by banging her on the head with a plastic club wants to go on and complete the set by winning the Masters next April.
Gerry Mairs on dad Gerry collecting his share of the Rory-wins-Open-bet from years ago.
James Riach on Rory giving the crowds what they wanted at Hoylake.
The ebullient cacophony that met him was befitting of an imperious performance that began on Thursday and never dipped, even if McIlroy still had a bunker to negotiate. Once he had escaped the trap the finish was a formality, three putts for the title in an amphitheatre of a final green surrounded by raucous grandstands.
It is unusual that the R&A sets up the denouement in such a fashion, but the end result was a tremendous crescendo as McIlroy tapped in for an historic victory. His is a win that was welcomed by the masses, even if his two adversaries on the day, Sergio García and Rickie Fowler, would both have been popular and worthy victors.
James Corrigan on Rory already setting his sights on Augusta.
Yet while the Australian will be in his sights in the next month, McIlroy has history as the longer-term goal.
“To sit here at 25 years of age and be three-quarters of the way to a career grand slam is something I never dreamt of at this point of my career,” McIlroy said. “I definitely hope I can complete it. I’ve really got my passion again for golf – it’s what I think about when I get up in the morning and when I go to bed at night.
The Telegraph's Alasdair Reid on Rory achieving a high level of skill.
McIlroy’s irons have always been crisp, but he lost some of his touch last year when he went through an equipment change. It is back with a vengeance now, and he is also a far less streaky putter than he used to be. The two eagles he produced over the closing three holes on Saturday were perfect demonstrations of the range of his powers, as mighty drives were followed by superb second shots and firm and assured putts.
Mark Tallentire of the Guardian on Rory inducing a fear factor over the rest of the field when he's hitting on all cylinders.
The Northern Irishman will be perceived to be harder to beat, and the way he drives the ball, he has the talent to blow fields away. With time on his side, he should get to six majors, and could end up well into double digits. The growing pains have largely been overcome, the dark days of almost missing his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup and the misjudged remark after struggling around Royal St George’s in the 2011 Open, when he declared that his game was plenty good enough for most tournaments and that he would not be changing it for one week a year playing links golf, marked down as just unfortunate blips.
His talent has been evident since his early days and the tremendous mindset, think Nicklaus and Woods, has been a factor since he won the Irish Close Championship at the age of 15 and then became the first player to defend it since the legendary Irish amateur Joe Carr in 1965. He went on to win the Silver Medal as the low amateur on his Open debut at Carnoustie in 2007 and Rickie Fowler has pointed out that he was already Great Britain & Ireland’s “go-to guy” in the 2007 Walker Cup team.
The Daily Mail's Mike Dawes on Rory's weird day with the fans on Sunday, including a snubbed fan who wanted an autograph in a massive security breach:
But Poulter took to Twitter to explain the difficult situation that the Northern Irishman found himself in.
He tweeted 'Just to clear up the signature thing. We are asked not to sign autographs until we have officially handed in our scorecards. #RulesAreRules.'
It was not McIlroy's only incident with a fan all day, after earlier growing frustrated with a spectator whose noise interrupted his backswing at the 16th hole on Sunday.
The three-shot leader hit an almost perfect drive down the centre of the fairway - but took exception to one member of the crowd, pointing them out to be ejected with his club.
Speaking out about the incident later, McIlroy said he had been consistently heckled by the offender throughout the day.
The Daily Mail's Arthur Martin claims Rory gave up a day of Open practice to be with his friend, who was in a car accident and who McIlroy has been friends with since last year.
It all coincides with his blossoming friendship with Irish lingerie model Nadia Forde.
After being introduced by mutual friends last year, the pair have remained tight-lipped about the nature of their relationship. Meanwhile McIlroy’s ex-fiancee, Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, 24, seems to be thriving on being a single woman after winning the Istanbul Cup on Sunday – her first title of the year.
McIlroy and Forde, 25, certainly seem to be getting closer. He missed a practice session before the Open when he learnt that she had been involved in a car crash last weekend.
Less breathless is Robert Lusetich, who works off of Tiger's extensive Rory comments Sunday at Hoylake and wonders what is next.
McIlroy's three majors have been as breathtaking as Boy Wonder's down times in between have been befuddling.
After he won the U.S. Open in 2011 in record fashion, he did not contend at all in the next five majors -- missing the cut at the 2012 U.S. Open -- but then out of the blue won the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, also by eight shot
Ryan Lavner on GMac's post round comments. Hmmm...
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
