The Sunday afternoon Tiger charge has been replaced with the Thursday afternoon Rory sprint.
Once again a major championship is being held this week. And, once again, Rory McIlroy holds a noticeable lead after the first round. McIlroy’s name has been atop the leader board after day one of last year’s British Open, this year’s Masters and now the U.S. Open. It’s a remarkable feat for any golfer, let alone a 22-year-old.
There’s only one problem…golf tournaments aren’t won on Thursday. The zero major championships to McIlroy’s name are evidence of that. Each of the past two times Rory’s sprinted ahead of the pack he’s been brought back to Earth by big numbers in later rounds.
It’s been easy to look at the past two falters as missteps along a greater learning curve. Anyone who doubts McIlroy will win majors isn’t paying attention. He’s arguably the most talented golfer in the world.
No matter what happens the next three days though, this tournament will impact McIlroy’s image more than the first two. We ached for him after Augusta. If things don’t go well for the next 54 holes at Congressional, we may ache for him yet again, but we’ll also have questions.
Rory’s 22. Which means he’s an infant in his career. Barring injuries or unforeseen hiccups, McIlroy should have 80 more major championships he can contend in and possibly win. There will be many, many more chances.
However, if he fails to follow through this time, people will start to think of him as a front runner who can’t close. McIlroy seems mentally tougher than most…but those burdens have a way of pinning you down. Ask Phil Mickelson, who waited a decade too long for his major breakthrough. Ask Sergio Garcia, who’s still waiting.
Maybe Rory will come back to Earth today and the focus will shift elsewhere before the weekend. Maybe he’ll throw another 65 on the board and keep running away. Maybe, but who knows.
All we know is guys who consistently lead major championships after day one do so because they have big cajones and loads of game. McIlroy has a chance to be one of the truly great players. He needs to start capitalizing on these brilliant starts to make that a reality.
McIlroy deserves big time credit for responding to his Masters meltdown with another strong start. He’s ensured that come Monday, we’ll talk about him in one way or another. Here’s hoping that like so many of the greats that came before him, he steps up and defines the conversation.
Just round one…get him to the weekend in the lead and we can discuss “deal sealing.” Get him to Sunday afternoon at the top of the board and then, yes, he can define the conversation. Anything is possible…we’ve seen near-missers learn from their losses and triumph the next time out…and we’ve also seen near-missers near miss again!
True. McIlroy’s game may simply not hold up over the next 54 holes. But… if you’re going to keep sprinting out to big Thursday leads…at some point people are going to wonder why you never bring home the biscuits.
There was a golfer – Bobby Jones, remember him? – who had the seven lean years before he had the seven good years and became the best player of his generation.
Like Jones, Rory has a beautiful, uninhibited golf swing, beautiful, great hand action, and the ability to light it up.
He may not win this week, but if he perseveres, he’ll end up with a fine record, and many majors.