McIlroy victory is best Major win I’ve ever seen
IREMEMBER a 14-year-old friend of my son’s came to stay with us a few years ago. The pair of them had some great games and you could see then that this lad was a class player. He wasn’t long at all but he was the straightest hitter you could imagine.
That boy won the US Open on Sunday night.
I’m delighted for Rory McIlroy getting his maiden Major win. There just aren’t enough superlatives in the dictionary to do it justice. It couldn’t have been better; he was fantastic from start to finish. It was also another wonderful result for Northern Ireland, following Graeme McDowell’s triumph last year. All in all, it was nothing short of the best Major I’ve ever seen.
HUGE HEART
Tiger Woods won the tournament by a record 15 shots at Pebble Beach in 2000, although that was under extreme conditions. Congressional was a golf course set up as fairly as you can get it and conditions were perfect throughout the four days. Everyone played well – but McIlroy ran away with it by eight shots.
He played every bit as brilliantly as he did for the first three days of the Masters earlier this year, but this time he didn’t let it slip through his fingers. That is testament not only to his skill, but also to his huge heart.
Rory (inset) is still just 22. It’s incredible that a boy as young as him can come back so quickly from the immense disappointment he suffered at Augusta and produce golf of that standard for four days. It was as good as it gets.
WEIGHT OFF HIS MIND
Comparisons have been drawn with Tiger, who was 21 when he won the first of 14 Majors at the Masters by 12 shots.
But this is Rory McIlroy; to hell with anyone else. He’s the youngest winner of the US Open for 78 years and he’s led three of the four Majors already in his short career.
I wouldn’t compare him with anyone; he’s his own entity and will make his own mark on the game.
That 14-year-old boy has added length to his game and has now got everything in his armoury.
We all thought it would only be a matter of time before he won his first Major – and now he’s got it. It should be a weight off his mind and I expect he will find it easier to win the next ones now.
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