Another can’t miss kid
By: Kevin Dunleavy
Examiner Staff Writer
April 2, 2009
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| Rory McIlroy has finished in the top 20 in each of his first three events on the PGA Tour. (Getty Images) |
Ireland’s McIlroy, 19, has the game and the poise
Golf’s next big thing comes along, oh, about every three months. Among those recently anointed — Danny Lee (New Zealand), Ryo Ishikawa (Japan), Jason Day (Australia), and Californians Anthony Kim and Jamie Lovemark.
So what makes golf’s latest, greatest wunderkind, Rory McIlroy, different?
It’s the walk, the talk, the way the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland breezes around a Doral or a Redstone, unaffected by his sudden fame, comfortable in a new country, at ease with the players he’s idolized since primary school.
“You’re watching guys like Tiger and Phil and Ernie on the TV growing up and now you’re trying to beat them,” said McIlroy. “It’s quite a cool feeling.”
That’s the way McIlroy feels about a lot of things these days. Splitting time between the European and PGA Tours, McIlroy is making noise, not just for his potential, but his results. Earlier this year, he won for the first time as a pro, at Dubai. In each of his first three events on the PGA Tour, he has finished in the top 20, earning $440,365.
“I’m not looking at other players. I’m just concentrating on what I need to do,” said McIlroy on Tuesday. “If I play well, I’m capable of beating most of the guys out here.”
McIlroy will play this week at the Shell Houston Open, followed by his first Masters, then Harbor Town (S.C.).
With ridiculous swing speed, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound McIlroy generates enormous power. He ranks No. 5 on the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 305.0 yards, is ninth in scoring average (69.4) and 19th in putting (1.72 per hole). Like many young players, McIlroy struggles with accuracy off the tee, hitting just 48 percent of fairways, ranking 192nd.
The power, the touch, the angular build, the comfort level — it’s all reminiscent of a certain PGA Tour player at a comparable age. When asked if McIlroy has the stuff to be No. 1 in the world, Tiger Woods didn’t hesitate.
“No doubt, but hopefully not while I’m around,” said Woods three weeks ago at Doral. “Certainly he has the talent. We can all see it. The way he hits the ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip and get up and down. He has the composure and all the components to be the best player in the world. It’s just a matter of time and experience.”
